


When The Autumn Moon Is Bright

by replaydebut



Category: K-pop, SHINee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Aphrodisiacs, Blow Jobs, Camping, Double Penetration, Established Relationship, Forest Sex, Hand Jobs, Horror, M/M, Non-Human Genitalia, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Other, Rimming, Semi-Public Sex, Succubi & Incubi, Suspense, Tentacles, Threesome, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-04 05:21:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21192251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/replaydebut/pseuds/replaydebut
Summary: “There’s going to be a full moon tonight,” he realizes out loud, and Jinki lifts his head from his map in interest.“Really?” He asks as he follows Jonghyun’s gaze. “Well, they say the moon makes people do strange things, don’t they?”“Yes, yes they do.”





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt 60: [Member of choice] decides to go camping for a weekend in late October, but once he arrives at his campsite strange, spooky things begin happening. It turns out to be a mischievous demon trying to get the human's attention to seduce him.
> 
> My horny demon taemin agenda carried out through my irresistible need to make sure jongyu are in love in everything I write. Planned for this to be around 7k...and as usual my rambling wins in the end.
> 
> I was really excited to explore some weirder territory with this fic, and as I was writing I realized it was the first time I'd ever written horror (even though I've always loved it) or written a threesome, so this was a great learning experience!
> 
> As always thank you so much to my fellow mods & friends Sirius and Aqua for supporting me through the whole writing process <3 When I was frustrated, your encouragement gave me so much confidence <3
> 
> Note: I didn't have as much time to do research for this fic as I would've liked, so to avoid misrepresenting anything I decided to set it in the US. For purposes of the plot as well, in this AU Jinki is Korean-American and Jonghyun is a Korean citizen who went to university in America.
> 
> Title from Howl by Florence + The Machine~

  
The road is bumpy and rough, uneven stretches of pathway traveling for miles into the wilderness and the mountains beyond. Jinki’s truck is steady and unyielding to the terrain, and his hands on the steering wheel are sure and strong. The sight is comforting for Jonghyun in its familiarity. 

Jinki has always been good with his hands. They’re careful hands—practiced and methodical in the way they approach tasks, the way they work diligently, and in the way they love Jonghyun. He flexes his fingers on the steering wheel, and it brings a smile to Jonghyun’s face. 

He’s holding a warm thermos of coffee in his lap, its heat warding off the chill of the late October air. It’s the afternoon, almost the evening, but especially in the mountains the weather succumbs quickly to the arrival of fall. He’s kept the window rolled down since they left the house that morning, basking in the crisp smell of the wind and burnt orange leaves. 

Each year, once summer slips away, Jonghyun feels lighter. He feels the window of possibilities opening up right before his eyes, the promise of a changing season, of the eventual arrival of chilly winters that are warmer to him than anyone else. 

Jinki slows the truck down as they round a sharp curve, and the view of the mountain peaks in the distance take up the frame of the front window. Jonghyun squeezes Jinki’s arm without realizing he’s doing it—excitement surging in him at such a sublime sight. It’s one Jinki is more used to than him, having ventured into the wilderness like this since he was young. He lends Jonghyun a pleased smile, though, eyes soft with understanding. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” he prompts, trying to keep his eyes on the road, but inevitably looking in Jonghyun’s direction.

Jonghyun grins, fingers playing with the worn leather of his notebook, seated in his lap next to the coffee. His mind is already brimming with ideas. “I love it,” he says. 

Jinki returns the smile, and their ride continues. Jonghyun rubs his thumb along the leather binding, thinking of the months this particular notebook has seen. It’s lasted since the beginning of summer, when he and Jinki vacationed in Maine. He remembers the pages he filled with descriptions of beaches lined with jagged rocks and lush green forests. He’d spent paragraphs on Jinki’s smile, on the light in his eyes when he pointed out a particular piece of the landscape that pleased him. 

He had ruminated on the nights they’d spent curled together in a remote cabin, the sound of waves crashing on the shore their lullaby as they rocked into each other, shaking around desperate moans and chasing a constant heat. 

Another sharp turn takes them closer to an even smaller trail ahead. It’s narrow, with weeds curling up on the sides and the absence of worn-down dirt from tire tracks of other campers. It’s the kind of trail that excites Jinki the most.

It’s a trail that leads to a place where not many have been. Jonghyun has learned over the years that Jinki likes capturing the scenery and feeling the earth of such uninhabited areas of the world, and the giddy grin that lights up his face makes the warmth from the coffee in Jonghyun’s lap spread all the way to his heart. 

The trail continues for a few miles until it deposits them in a small clearing. Tall trees overflowing with colorful leaves cradle the space, and make room for a view that faces the soaring mountains in the distance and the rolling valleys below. Jonghyun hardly contains his gasp of surprise and awe. 

“Where did you even find this place?” he asks as Jinki puts the truck in park. 

“This community of photographers that I’m in online,” Jinki admits, unbuckling himself and leaning forward to touch his chin to the steering wheel, gazing out at the scene before them. “It’s a small discussion forum site, focused on finding and sharing unique places to shoot. I was lucky that this trail was close enough for us to take the trip.”

Jonghyun smiles, finding the idea of Jinki scrolling message boards about forests, fields, and photography equipment unbearably precious in its innocence. Jinki has always had that quality about him; a youthful innocence and brightness that finds beauty in the mundane. It had captivated Jonghyun from the start.

They unload the truck slowly, enjoying the feeling of the chilly air that ghosts gently across their faces and fills their lungs. Their tent is large, roomy but portable and suited well for Jinki’s love of sleeping near the earth, and Jonghyun’s need to be only a little bit pampered when they venture into such deep backcountry.

“I’m not a mountain man yet, Jinki,” Jonghyun had reminded him the day they bought the tent. Jinki had been fiddling with the display of a much smaller tent, cozy and accommodating for just two in close proximity. It meant more time spent outside of the shelter than in it.

Jinki had chuckled, but his eyes never lost their warmth, tugging on Jonghyun’s fleece sweater toward another part of the store. “I know that,” he had said fondly. “I looked at this one online earlier.” 

He gestured to a much bigger tent, designed for families and large parties. “You could probably even fit a mattress in there if you wanted to.”

Jonghyun had rolled his eyes, but his smile was shy when he nodded, playing with the collar of Jinki’s shirt and resisting every urge to kiss him right in the middle of the store. “I’m feeling spoiled.”

Jinki had blushed, often bashful around Jonghyun’s public affections, but enjoying them all the same. “Only the best for you.”

Jinki had always been quieter than Jonghyun, his love language more composed of actions than words, but he had his moments of affection that surprised Jonghyun and made his heart sing. 

Jonghyun wanders off to gather firewood while Jinki finishes setting up the tent, enjoying the labyrinth paths of the forest, filled with all its mysteries. The clearing is small and the trees hug it tightly, their leaves swaying in the breeze and rustling across the forest floor. Jonghyun smiles at the sound.

One time Jinki had called Jonghyun’s writing ‘romantic.’ It had been in the middle of a cafe in Seoul when they were visiting Jonghyun’s family for Chuseok. He had been reading through his journals, through his descriptions of the places Jinki had taken him, and all their wonder.

“I’ve never thought of the woods as mysterious,” Jinki had mumbled, iced americano forgotten next to him as the noise of the cafe bubbled behind. Seoul must have seemed so strange for him, the boy who grew up in the American countryside and had to drive half an hour just to get to town for school.

“It’s more like...an old friend,” he’d decided with a smile. Jonghyun had felt his heart flutter uncontrollably, not for the first time. 

“Someone you know so well that you can always go back to them, and feel as though they’re perpetually the same?” Jonghyun had mused, latte almost gone. 

“Yeah, I think so,” Jinki’s voice had been a soft whisper, and Jonghyun’s pen scratching against the surface of his notebook page sounded louder than all the chatter in the room. 

Their feet touched under the table, always finding one another over and over again.

But to Jonghyun, the woods do feel mysterious. It’s always ever-shifting, a constant ebb and flow of nature and weather. 

He feels secrets deep in the dirt as he walks, shuffling through bright, crunchy leaves to find smooth sticks and broken tree branches. It had taken him a while, but he had finally gotten the hang of finding the right kindling for fire, after much instruction from Jinki and many nights curled together under the stars, huddled by the hot flames.

He manages to scoop up a substantial armful, meandering through the trees but making sure not to travel too far from the campsite. He knows he has a tendency to easily get lost in these unfamiliar spaces, spending too much time in his own head.

He stops before he ventures too deep; before he enters into the clusters of trees at the back of the forest, so far away that the sunlight escapes them, replaced by dense shadow. Jonghyun pauses there, tries to think of a line, something to describe the feeling of such contrast. In the midst of his thoughts, he hears a soft rustling ahead. 

He furrows his brows at first, confused by how clear the sound is, how it unnerves him in a way he can’t explain. He waits, trying to listen for it again, but it never comes. He hums to himself, shaking off the odd feeling as he remembers how many wild animals inhabit the area. Jinki had shown him pictures of all the species before the trip.

Back at the campsite, Jinki has finished setting up the tent, and the sun is beginning to dip lower in the sky. The crisp afternoon air has slowly become colder, but Jonghyun’s jacket is made for it, and he feels content as he dumps his findings in the open fire pit. 

“You’re becoming a real master at finding the right wood,” Jinki smiles approvingly, already laying out pots and pans for dinner. 

Jonghyun grins at the comment, always feeling an irresistible glow from his heart to the top of his head when Jinki gives him praise. He sits down next to Jinki on one of the logs surrounding the fire, digging into his jacket pocket for the lighter. 

Jinki leans forward and adjusts the logs until they’re in a suitable shape, something ambiguous to Jonghyun, but a practiced pattern in Jinki’s own mind. He claps his hands together in satisfaction when he finishes, and gestures to Jonghyun. 

“You can do the honors.”

Jonghyun nods, warmth in his cheeks before the fire has even started. He leans in, flicking the lighter on and touching it to the base of the pile. A yellow-orange glow slowly builds, flames licking the sides of the sticks and growing in their intensity. Jonghyun watches them reflected in Jinki’s eyes, comforting and unwavering.

They cook a simple dinner over their humble fire—a spicy stew that compliments the weather well. The sun sets behind Jinki’s back as Jonghyun sips at his spoon. He remembers early in their relationship, when Jinki would cook something new for him every weekend. They had tried so hard to impress each other back then, and sometimes Jonghyun still feels that urge. 

He tucks his hand under Jinki’s arm as Jinki finishes his dinner and sets his bowl to the side. The fire crackles softly and the warmth of Jinki’s body seeps through Jonghyun’s jacket and touches his bare skin. He leans in close, breath tickling Jinki’s cheek before he kisses it. 

Jinki smiles, sliding their palms together as he faces Jonghyun, locking their lips in a kiss. Jonghyun grins into it, knowing it’s what he’d been chasing all along. They kiss slow, sinking into the feeling of each other, of being alone together in the middle of nowhere. Jonghyun feels brave, emboldened and excited at the same time that he feels deeply at peace. 

He tugs on Jinki’s bottom lip with his teeth, and a harsh breath follows. Their foreheads knock together when they pull apart, still sharing body heat that refuses to let up. 

“We still haven’t broken in my new tent,” Jonghyun teases, touching his lips to Jinki’s again, soft and shaky, unable to resist. 

“_Your_ tent, hm?” Jinki replies, falling into the suggestion Jonghyun’s lips prompted. The wet noise of their mouths sliding together sends a shiver up Jonghyun’s spine. It sounds so much dirtier in the empty expanse of the forest. He craves it. 

“That’s right,” he breathes, clutching at Jinki’s back and ready to take him apart right there by the fire. “My tent, my rules. And my number one rule is that you always have to be naked when you’re in there.”

Jinki laughs, his deep chuckle rumbling underneath Jonghyun’s skin. He tugs until Jonghyun’s legs tumble forward, until he’s seated in his lap. He feels the heat of Jinki’s palm on his lower back, slipping under the layers of his jacket and t-shirt. He falls forward, gasps into his kiss again as it grows in its hunger. He feels Jinki underneath him, the familiar brush of his erection against his own. The fire burns hot behind them.

Jinki pulls away, gasping and tugging at Jonghyun’s hair, short black strands blending in with the shadows of the night around them. “I don’t want to go breaking any rules now, do I?” he whispers, and the open flap of the tent beckons them. 

Jonghyun tugs his jacket and shirt off in one swoop as soon as his knees touch the plastic floor, and Jinki unbuttons his own with deft fingers. They pull their jeans off wordlessly, sharing exhilarated huffs of breath as the night closes in. 

When the only thing Jonghyun can see is Jinki’s bare skin in all its softness and smoothness, he tumbles forward until he’s straddling him. Jinki’s head hits his pillow confidently, and his hands come up to grasp Jonghyun’s hips. Their pattern is comfortable, but never dull. Jonghyun rolls his hips, and they share a gasp as they finally touch. 

They rut against each other, hips kicking up as desperate breaths followed by hot kisses punctuate the silence around them. It’s a messy back and forth, but the friction feels sweet and sharp all through Jonghyun’s body—a hard-to-grasp sense of satisfaction. He moans into Jinki’s mouth, tasting his teeth and tongue with every greedy movement he makes. He’s dizzy as Jinki grabs at his ass, bringing him closer.

He feels the pull in his stomach. He wants to be inside, wants to feel Jinki around him, tight and hot and mind-numbing. He shivers at the very thought of it, and Jinki presses his fingers to the skin around his hole like he’s thinking about it too, like a signal that he wants Jonghyun to do the same to him. 

Jonghyun groans, rutting against Jinki’s hand in time with his thrusts forward. His breaths even out, settling back down into their rhythm. He wants everything at once, but he forces himself to slow his pace. It’s only the first of many nights, and there’s something appealing about dragging it out. Jonghyun reaches between them.

“Want me to touch you?” he asks, already knowing the answer. He cherishes hearing Jinki say it. 

“Always,” Jinki replies, tilting his hips up into the open space of Jonghyun’s hand. 

He moans low in his throat as Jonghyun touches him, slipping his hand down from the tip to the base in a quick gesture just to tease him. He loves hearing Jinki, and he takes his time coaxing each noise out. He squeezes just under the head, then strokes down with three fingers. Jinki’s eyes flutter shut and he squirms on the sleeping mat. Jonghyun grins.

He leans forward, slipping his free hand into Jinki’s hair as he quickens his pace. He wraps the rest of his fingers around him, letting Jinki set the rhythm as he strokes fingers through his hair and places hot kisses on every inch of skin he can get his mouth on. 

The chilly night air seeps into the tent from all sides, mixing with their body heat and creating a desperate energy. Jonghyun stretches his body proudly, feeling the cool air nip at his skin, at his already hard nipples—making them stand out even more. Jinki reaches up to rub at one, and Jonghyun moans loud, letting his voice carry down the side of the mountain and into the deepest depths of the valleys. 

“I’m close,” Jinki whispers, and Jonghyun shifts so he can grab both their cocks at once, sending sparks shooting through his belly. Jinki pulls harder at his nipple, squeezes harder at his ass. Their bodies fit together so effortlessly, and Jonghyun knows. He’s come to recognize the way Jinki’s face scrunches up when he’s close, the way his noises get higher in pitch, needy and hot. 

“I know,” Jonghyun says, and kisses him again, swallowing a moan as he grips them both tight, hand and hips moving in a mismatched rhythm that still does the trick. He holds onto the side of Jinki’s face as they move against each other, trading gasps and building heat until they reach their climax.

Jinki moans deep when he comes, shaking all over and throwing his head back onto his pillow. His shudders slow down in Jonghyun’s hand and Jonghyun comes too, salty sweat and semen mixing together between their bodies as he pants, falling forward into the crook of Jinki’s neck where his skin is soft and his hair smells like the campfire. 

He feels him smile as they cool down together, breaths syncing up. The plastic of the tent sounds loud as Jonghyun shifts, the bed mat slipping underneath them. He flops to the side and curls his fingers into Jinki’s hair. 

“Well, what do you think of my rule?” Jonghyun prompts, feeling exhaustion from their long drive seeping into his bones now that the buzz of his arousal is fading. 

Jinki hooks his foot around Jonghyun’s calf, pulling them closer to each other. He places a quiet kiss on his forehead, in between the tufts of his hair that were mussed in the process of everything. 

“I think it’s very worthwhile,” Jinki smiles, and their laughter echoes one another easily. 

They lay in each other’s arms until Jonghyun begins to doze off. He forces himself to rub his eyes awake and slip out of the tent to clean up and go pee before settling into bed. He finds a thrill in walking around without anything on, using a paper towel to wipe the cum off his stomach and slipping it into the trash bag in the back of the truck. He follows the trail of stars up above, aimlessly smiling to himself as he ventures to the edge of the campsite. 

He can barely make out anything past the trees, but he aims for a pile of tree branches off to the side as he stands there. His tiredness begins to gnaw at him even more, and he struggles to keep his eyes open as he finishes his business.

He’s about to turn around and head back to the tent, to the inviting warmth of Jinki’s embrace, when he hears it. 

It’s a similar rustling to the one he’d heard earlier in the day, oddly loud and unfamiliar. He blinks rapidly, squinting to try and see past the immediate darkness in front of him. He can’t see anything, and the sound never repeats itself. He shivers, suddenly jumpy and less tired than he just was. 

Jonghyun turns around slowly, glancing back only once before slipping into the tent. The darkness is unrelenting, careful not to give away its secrets too quickly. 

He’s unsettled for a moment, but Jinki’s sleepy warmth pulls him in and the goodnight kiss they share soothes his worries easily enough. They hold each other as they fall into a deep sleep, the sounds of the forest outside carrying on without them.  


  
\---

  


The morning sunlight slips through the thin material of their tent, warming Jonghyun’s skin against the biting air. He furrows his brows, refusing to give in and open his eyes yet as he snuggles closer into Jinki’s side. 

They’re both still naked, having foregone clothes completely in favor of each other’s body heat. The cool weather keeps the sweat from sticking them together, and Jonghyun sighs as he feels Jinki’s breath hitting his collarbone in a gentle rhythm. 

He manages to blink his eyes open once the sun becomes too relentless, and he’s greeted with the peacefulness of Jinki’s sleeping face. He brushes his hair out of his eyes with a soft smile. He’s woken up earlier than Jinki on so many occasions, and been treated to the sight of him still floating through his dreams. It’s almost a part of their routine now, and Jonghyun constantly looks forward to it. 

He shifts on the bedding, pulling the blanket up tighter around them and nuzzling into the crook of Jinki’s neck. The action wakes him up, with a low confused grumble that makes Jonghyun giggle. 

“Good morning sleepyhead,” Jonghyun whispers, and Jinki smiles with his eyes still closed, hand searching for Jonghyun’s so he can pull them closer.

They lay like that for a while, quietly cuddling and shielded from the view of the new day beginning around them. The light wind blows across their bare skin, but under the blankets they share warmth. Jonghyun kisses Jinki’s cheek. 

Jinki stirs awake more, and he answers back with a kiss of his own, full lips catching Jonghyun’s and pulling a pleasant hum out of him. He can’t help the smile that breaks the kiss; that spreads across his face and is mirrored by Jinki’s. 

“Will you make me some coffee?” Jonghyun asks into his mouth, sweet and innocent like he thinks Jinki might refuse.

“Only if you make breakfast,” Jinki counters, and Jonghyun tries to pout but secretly his heart blooms at the thought of it; of the two of them working in simple partnership to build their peaceful morning together.

The forest smells fresh and clear as they exit the tent, with the wind softly kicking up the leaves on the ground. Jinki prepares the stovetop coffee maker and Jonghyun starts cooking rice over the small fire he makes with some of the leftover wood he collected. It simmers slowly and steadily, echoing the calm of the early morning. 

The warm smell of the coffee and the crackle of eggs frying in the pan make up for the lack of conversation. They don’t need it yet; content to sit next to each other with their bodies touching at every point, hearts thrumming in time with the movements of nature. Jinki pours them two full cups and Jonghyun spoons out two large portions of the egg, rice, and vegetable mixture he whipped up. 

“I was thinking we could go on a small hike today,” Jinki suggests after finishing off half of his plate, his coffee steaming by his side. “Apparently there’s a really nice spot about two miles from here. Not too strenuous.” 

Jonghyun chuckles at the last part of the sentence. He’s not opposed to hiking more difficult trails when he has Jinki to lead, but he thinks starting off slow is the best choice. 

“You’re the expert,” he says, nudging Jinki’s shoulder playfully. He sips at his own coffee, strong taste hitting the back of his throat the same way the air hits his lungs; refreshing in its own way. 

Jinki pats the camera bag next to him, having dragged it out of the tent with the coffeemaker. “Thought it would be cool to try out some Polaroid shots today, instead of just my usual DSLR.” 

Jonghyun grins, knowing what those words mean by now, but still charmed by how excited Jinki gets when he delves into photography talk. Jinki had recently bought a Polaroid camera, and had been experimenting with it at home a little. He always liked to venture out into the world to get the best shots though. 

“Remember in college when I asked you what the difference between film and digital was?” Jonghyun says, grinning shyly. 

Jinki laughs, reaching behind Jonghyun to rub his hand up and down his back in a soothing rhythm. They’ve both finished their breakfast now, plates off to the side and coffee starting to cool at the bottoms of their mugs. 

“One of the first times we actually talked,” Jinki nods in reminiscence. 

“I always wanted to impress you.” 

Jinki shakes his head, smile making his eyes scrunch up—a sight that Jonghyun loves. “You were cooler than me. Still are.” 

Jonghyun will never agree with that, thinking of the day he saw Jinki for the first time. It had been at a meeting for their college’s radio club. 

Jonghyun was hosting a show on the student station for a year or so at the time, and writing articles for the station’s website on the side. Jinki had been a new member, shy and quiet in the corner as he raised his hand to volunteer to photograph a local band’s upcoming concert. 

“That day at the station...you were so cute in your big flannel shirt,” Jonghyun grins, remembering how Jinki had looked so normal, and thus wildly out of place amongst the groups of indie and goth kids who made up the majority of the station’s writers and photographers. 

He had looked so out of place, but utterly unaware of that fact. It had been a change of pace from the appearances so many people at the station tried to keep up. Jinki had peaked Jonghyun’s interest simply by being. 

“I’d never even heard of that band,” Jinki laughs. “But, at least it gave me the chance to talk to you,” he continues, brushing one loose hair away from Jonghyun’s face and letting the breeze rifle through the rest. Jonghyun leans into the touch graciously.

“You knew I’d signed up to cover the show,” Jonghyun continues the story, knowing it by heart and never tiring of it. 

From that day forward, a partnership grew slow and steady like the passage of time. Jonghyun found comfort in watching Jinki at every show, serious and dutiful as he took pictures while raucous college kids danced behind him. Jonghyun always drank too much and stayed up late after the show ended, writing his article while Jinki told him cheesy dad jokes from his couch.

He began to look forward to every weekend even more than he had previously. There was always something going on; always something to photograph and write about. Even when the shows were bad and Jonghyun ranted the whole ride home, Jinki was there—warmth from his thigh seeping into Jonghyun’s as they sat too close together in that liminal space of the late night city bus. 

After so many weekends following the same pattern that Jonghyun came to cherish, he kissed Jinki under the spinning lights and in between the sweaty bodies on the crowded dance floor. Jonghyun remembers the rush of it, the kinetic whirlwind that spun around them as he held onto Jinki’s shoulders for safety and kissed him until he had to stop for breath. 

“And now we’re here,” Jinki whispers, nuzzling the side of Jonghyun’s head fondly. Jonghyun smiles in agreement. What had started to grow then had sustained until now, through their graduation and beyond it, always continuing down the path they shared. 

Jinki stretches as he stands and collects their dishes, planning to wash them later when they get back from the hike. Jonghyun tugs his jacket tighter and adjusts the laces on his boots, and they make their way through the trees.

They walk for about a mile, following a barely there trail and stopping periodically so Jinki can take pictures of places that interest him. It’s still early, and the possibilities that the day holds stretch out in front of them endlessly as Jonghyun inhales the fresh air with each step he takes. He loves the night most of all, but early mornings always feel similar to him. Time seems to be born anew, and full of secrets that are yet to unfold, unlike afternoons which always feel too heavy with the events of the day.

Jonghyun slips his palm into Jinki’s free hand, and the smile he receives as a result of it makes his heart sing. They walk in step for a while, joined in companionable silence and surrounded by nothing but the trees.

At the second mile mark, Jinki points out their destination. It’s a clearing similar to the one their campsite is in, but it’s preceded by a steep hill that makes Jonghyun sweat under the layers of his sweatshirt and jacket even though the temperature is still relatively cool.

Once they reach the top, the view of the valleys below stretches on and Jonghyun strips down to his t-shirt as he catches his breath. 

Jinki busies himself with taking photos, and Jonghyun looks around. The trees hug the area tightly, but leave room for the view that Jinki was chasing. Jonghyun leans against one of the trees casually as he keeps his eyes on Jinki, always admiring how committed he is when he’s in the zone. 

It’s quieter now that they aren’t walking, and now that the wind has settled down a bit. He keeps his eyes on the curve of Jinki’s back, and the way his sweatshirt hugs the softness of his waist just above his hips. He’s enjoying getting lost in Jinki’s features when he hears an odd sound from behind him. 

Jonghyun jumps in surprise and whips his head around. He knows it’s the same rustling he’s heard before. He knows it from the way it always sounds too close, and the way the leaves crunch in the exact same manner they do when he walks across them in his hiking boots. The hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and he squints through the cluster of trees, which are still full of shadow even in the mid-morning sunlight.

He shakes his head, trying to abandon the weird feeling, and walks to Jinki’s side, wrapping a hand around his arm. 

“What’s up?” Jinki asks, shooting him a pretty smile as he looks away from the camera viewfinder.

Jonghyun tries to give a smile back, but he feels it falter. “Ah—I heard this weird noise, and it just freaked me out a little.”

Jinki nods in understanding, but his eyes are still bright. “Animals can really sneak up on you,” he explains. “I bet it was a rabbit or something.”

Jonghyun wants to believe it, and it’s perfectly logical so he isn’t sure why the answer doesn’t sit with him right. Jinki kisses his cheek as a gesture of comfort, and Jonghyun sighs in an attempt to expel the uneasy feelings. 

“You’re right,” he says, opting for light teasing. “I’m lucky to have such an attractive and capable guide with me.”

Jinki giggles at the compliment, eyes scrunching up so cutely that Jonghyun already feels more at peace. He nudges Jinki and encourages him to show him the photos he’s already taken. The Polaroid camera is still in its bag at Jinki’s feet, and Jinki’s trusted DSLR has captured the scenery around them in mesmerizing quality as always.

Jonghyun stands close, resting his head on Jinki’s shoulder as he watches the photos flick past on the view screen. He can smell the earthiness of the campfire in Jinki’s hair and the underlying sharpness of his sweat that he knows so well. When he’s shown him all the pictures, Jinki looks back at Jonghyun with a sweet smile. Their eyes meet, and a suggestion of something travels between them. 

Jonghyun blushes in spite of himself and looks away. He’s hardly ever shy, especially around Jinki, but he feels thrown off balance by the sudden rush of feelings, even though they’re completely alone. 

“Why don’t you try out the new camera?” he asks to distract himself. 

Jinki grins, and he’s blushing too. He fiddles with the bag and pulls it out, and Jonghyun can’t seem to take his eyes off his hands as they carefully toy with the camera’s mechanisms and the film inside. Jonghyun smiles as he watches, and he’s expecting things to settle down, to see the wide expanse of Jinki’s back as he turns around to face the valleys like he did before. He’s expecting that buzz of tension he feels to go away, but Jinki turns the camera on him instead.

“Smile,” he says cutely, and Jonghyun bursts into giggles, covering his face in embarrassment. 

“What is this?! I thought we were here to take pictures of the mountains,” Jonghyun protests, feeling vulnerable as the strip of film pops out of the automatic dispenser. Jinki slips it into his sweatshirt sleeve to wait for it to develop. 

“I mean the mountains are nice, but I think this is the better view,” Jinki teases, holding the camera up again. “Strike a pose.”

“Ah...really…” Jonghyun laughs, feeling a sense of awkwardness mixed with pride at being Jinki’s subject. It isn’t the first time Jinki’s photographed him, but every time he does Jonghyun never feels prepared, always smiling shyly as the shutter clicks. 

He makes a peace sign and tilts his head to the side, grinning wide in the way he knows Jinki likes. He feels a slight wind ruffle his hair, and grumbles inwardly about it. Jinki keeps grinning as the second photo pops out of the camera, and he exchanges it for the first. 

“You look so handsome,” Jinki says fondly, and passes the picture over to Jonghyun. Jonghyun rolls his eyes, but when he looks down he sees himself laughing. His hand covers his mouth and his eyes are all scrunched up, caught in a moment of surprise and delight as the sun casts light across his features. He likes the look of the film and the way it makes everything feel timeless. 

“Hush,” he says quietly, still playfully chastising Jinki. “You’re the handsome one.”

Jinki’s close to him now like Jonghyun had been to him earlier, with his face near his shoulder and his hands coming to rest on his waist as they look at the picture together. Jonghyun can smell his sweat again, the slightest hint of coffee, and that unnameable scent that belongs to Jinki alone. He shifts, leans his back against Jinki’s chest in the most casual way he can. He feels Jinki’s hands come up to rest on the planes of his stomach. He takes the other picture out of his sleeve.

“Cute and sexy at the same time,” Jinki muses, holding the photo up at eye level. “How do you do it?”

“Stop it…” Jonghyun whines, but he wants to hear more. He’s suddenly craving the compliments Jinki always throws his way. He cranes his neck back, meets Jinki’s eyes again. They’re swimming with something different, their deep brown color warm and smoldering. 

It’s like there’s a shift in the air too, as the wind ruffles the leaves at their feet and blows through the tall trees. Jonghyun brushes his lips to Jinki’s, and a shiver of anticipation runs up his spine. Jinki hums into the kiss, hand immediately coming up to clutch the back of Jonghyun’s head. He kisses fervently, like he’d been thinking about doing it for hours, and Jonghyun moans at the mere thought. 

Jonghyun swiftly turns around, pulls at the loose material of Jinki’s sweatshirt as the kiss heats up. He gasps as Jinki presses him against a nearby tree, and the roughness of the bark through the thin fabric of his t-shirt feels so different and new and thrilling. 

Jinki breaks the kiss to take a breath, though reluctantly. Jonghyun pants, suddenly wild with it; with the need for Jinki to press into him harder, for them to take each other apart in all the ways they love and know how. Jinki looks just as needy, but they share a look of slight hesitation. 

“Here?” Jonghyun gasps, but Jinki’s hands are already coming up to settle on his hips again. 

“Why not?” Jinki asks, voice low, and it’s the response Jonghyun had been thinking of himself. 

It feels so easy, so enticing in its transgression. Jinki’s hands travel under Jonghyun’s shirt, and they’re slightly cold as they touch him. He shivers and leans in again, nudging Jinki’s mouth open with his own. He thinks of the thrill he felt the night before, when he walked through their campsite completely naked, and no one knew but himself and the sliver of the moon that cut through the velvet black of the sky.

Jinki brackets Jonghyun against the tree and slips his knee in between his legs. Jonghyun sighs, losing his ability to think beyond the want he feels gnawing at him, the way Jinki smells, and the quickly building arousal simmering in his veins. 

Jinki unzips Jonghyun’s jeans, and the noise sounds deafening. He giggles without meaning to, and Jinki laughs too. “What are we doing?” Jonghyun whispers in disbelief. 

Jinki shrugs, and slips his hands down the back of Jonghyun’s pants, cupping his ass and pulling him closer. He’s blushing, but his eyes are shining with mischief that Jonghyun recognizes. “It’s kind of fun, isn’t it?”

Jonghyun laughs, but nods in agreement, breath catching as Jinki kisses him again. Jonghyun has mentioned public sex to Jinki before, but it still lived in his mind as some kind of fantasy. He’d whispered his desires to him in private moments when they couldn’t get enough of each other, but they always felt nebulous to him. He couldn’t imagine them ever exceeding the realm of his wet dreams and heated confessions.

It’s not public now, not necessarily, but Jonghyun feels a certain vulnerability, especially as Jinki tugs at his jeans definitively. Along with his underwear, they pool at his ankles and the breeze blows across his hardening cock while his bare ass hits the tree bark. 

He blushes, and Jinki’s hand comes down to wrap around him. 

“I like it when you’re forward,” Jonghyun comments with a raised eyebrow, as Jinki moves his wrist in swift, quick strokes. 

“I know,” Jinki says back, and the strokes suddenly stop. Jonghyun looks at him curiously. Jinki’s face is flushed and his hair is disheveled. Everything feels raw and exciting as he sinks down to his knees. 

He leans forward, breath ghosting the tip of Jonghyun’s dick before he slips it in his mouth. He adjusts his position and the leaves rustle across the forest floor. Jonghyun moans unabashedly as Jinki’s head bobs down, familiar wet slide and warm tightness sending sparks up Jonghyun’s groin.

He tugs on Jinki’s hair instinctively, and a low moan comes from his throat as Jinki easily accommodates him, sinking down until his nose is buried in the dark curl of his pubes. His full lips are stretched wide around the base and his hands grip Jonghyun’s hips as he moves back and forth. Jonghyun shivers each time he slides almost all the way off, breeze hitting his cock slicked up with spit. 

“Jinki…” Jonghyun breathes out, carding his hand through Jinki’s hair in long strokes as the wet sounds of his mouth reverberate through the clearing. Jinki hums in response, eyes closed in bliss as he pulls back to suck diligently at just the head and then slides down to the base again.

“You really wanted this,” Jonghyun comments, saying it because they always love dirty talk, and it feels even more adventurous to do it now, his voice amplified by the relative quiet around them. Jinki’s eyelids flutter at the teasing, and he goes down deeper, hands slipping back to palm at Jonghyun’s ass. 

Jonghyun quirks an eyebrow, but his surprise at Jinki’s wandering hands is overshadowed by the rush of pleasure it elicits. Jinki pulls off slowly, taking a moment to catch his breath and stare up at Jonghyun, gaze heavy and dark. His lips are red and wet, sticky with his own spit as he pants. He rearranges his position to sit up more attentively on his knees, and rubs his hands up Jonghyun’s ass carefully. 

“I want…” he trails off, eyes flicking to the side self-consciously. He looks embarrassed, but absolutely overcome with his desire, and Jonghyun hangs onto every word. 

“Turn around,” Jinki says, hands on his hips to guide him. Jonghyun lets out a surprised gasp, already in tune with where this is going and feeling his knees wobble at the very concept of it. 

Suddenly, with his ass no longer shielded from view by the tree, he feels even more exposed. Jinki’s hands brush across him, clearing away bits of the tree bark and dirt that cling to his skin. Jonghyun places his hands on the tree’s trunk and hangs his head between them. His still-hard cock juts out in front of him, and he knows exactly how he must look. 

He can hear Jinki breathing hard behind him, overwhelmed with this burst of lust that has emboldened them both. Jonghyun whines, shifting his hips to encourage Jinki to start. He can barely think with how much he wants it. 

His nails scratch at the tree’s bark as Jinki spreads him open, exposing him completely in the most open and intimate way possible. He moans before Jinki even touches him, riled up solely by the act of being shown off. There’s no one here but the two of them, but he feels the forest’s eyes looking down. 

Jinki hums as he leans in, as his tongue presses forward to lick up, and his already wet lips make an obscene noise when they come in contact with Jonghyun’s skin. He groans, immediately pushing back to chase the feeling. Jinki’s hands come up to hold him open and Jonghyun feels the chill of the air periodically brush across him when Jinki pulls back for breath. 

Jinki buries his face inside, licking greedily like he can’t get enough of it. Every noise Jinki’s mouth makes sounds so much dirtier than he had been when he was sucking Jonghyun off, and it’s exhilarating. Jonghyun can almost feel the set of someone else’s eyes on him, feels the rush of shame and perverse arousal that comes from imagining it. 

His vision blurs as he cranes his head back to catch sight of Jinki, perched perfectly past the curve of Jonghyun’s ass with his face buried between his cheeks and eyes closed in hazy bliss. Jonghyun hears a rustling sound again, coming from the trees directly behind them and louder than it’s ever been. He steadfastly ignores it, too caught up in pleasure. 

He moans for Jinki more, encouraging him with every jolt of his hips that makes his ass shake against Jinki’s mouth. His cock demands attention too, the sensitive head periodically making contact with the rough tree bark in front of him. It sends a zing of feeling through his body, riding that line between pain and intense pleasure. 

He wants to come from Jinki’s mouth on him, though. He knows it immediately, and that desire only builds as Jinki’s tongue slips inside and begins moving quickly. Jonghyun moans loud, arms getting weak from holding himself up, but his arousal is so determined that he couldn’t possibly stop. 

He rides Jinki’s tongue expertly, responding to each press forward with his own eager thrust back. Jinki groans, and the sound reverberates through Jonghyun’s body. He echoes the groan, hanging his head forward and closing his eyes as sweat starts to gather at his temples and he can taste the drool in his mouth. 

“Don’t I taste good?” he whispers it, and it’s something he’s said enough times in the heat of the moment that he can anticipate Jinki’s response. He feels him eagerly press in, movements becoming more urgent as the desire to bring him to climax builds. 

“So good,” Jinki says when he pulls away to take a breath, mouth shining with spit. He hurriedly unzips his own pants and pulls his dick out, eyes rolling back in his head as he strokes himself. 

Jinki works himself quickly, but barely spares a moment before he buries his face in between Jonghyun’s cheeks again. Jonghyun lets out a surprised sound, caught off guard at just how greedy Jinki is for it. He rocks back, letting the messy sound of Jinki’s mouth and the desperate slide of his hand on his cock fill his ears as the heat in Jonghyun’s groin builds. 

He moans, showing off at this point because he knows how much Jinki is aroused by the act of getting him off, by feeling Jonghyun twitch and shake around him. He leans his head forward on his arm and shamelessly ruts against Jinki’s face, chasing the feeling of his tongue as it seems to pull his orgasm out of him from deep inside his body. Every time Jinki goes down on him like this, he feels that; a rush of pleasure so mind-numbing and full bodied that his brain stutters to a stop when he gets close to the edge. 

Jinki holds him still by his hips, tongue attentive and sure even while he’s working himself to climax too. Jonghyun shakes, feels his cock bump against the tree again, and shivers at the intense feeling and the way it combines with the heat and pull of Jinki’s mouth. He moans, mouth falling open and spit that had collected behind his teeth tumbling out. He feels messy, completely wrecked and unable to stop it. 

He cries out as he comes, nails digging into the tree as he shakes around Jinki’s face, knees ready to give out if not for Jinki’s steady hand keeping him in place. Jonghyun leans his forehead on the tree, knowing the dirt will mix with his sweaty hair but past the point of caring. He feels like a wild animal, drunk on such primal lust. He sees the white streak of his cum on the tree bark, dripping down its ridges.

He still hears Jinki getting himself off, and he turns around to watch. Jinki’s cheeks are pink and his mouth hangs open, little whines coming out. Jonghyun kneels down, hand coming to match Jinki’s and helping him get there. Jinki groans immediately at the touch, and Jonghyun strokes his other hand through his hair. 

“You look so hot like this,” Jonghyun mutters, voice low and coaxing in the way he knows Jinki likes. His knees are covered in dirt from kneeling for so long, and Jonghyun brushes his hand away, offering to take over. “Let me.”

Jinki nods and hangs his head on Jonghyun’s shoulder as he moves forward, hips kicking desperately into the practiced circle of Jonghyun’s hand. Jinki grips his shirt, mouthing at the salty skin of his neck as his hips jolt. He comes with a choked moan, spilling onto Jonghyun’s hand and the leaves underneath them.

They pant against each other on the worn forest ground. Jinki laughs, and it sounds so loud that Jonghyun can’t help but laugh too. His arousal is fading, the soreness in his legs and his overheated skin becoming more apparent past the haze of pleasure he’d been feeling. 

“What did we just do?” he giggles into Jinki’s mouth, stealing a quiet kiss. Jinki looks exhausted, face flushed and eyes warm.

“I don’t even know,” Jinki laughs back, reaching down to tuck himself back into his pants. “I just wanted to.”

Jonghyun nods, standing up and stretching his limbs. “I did too,” he says, looking down at his softening dick and the bits of tree bark on his thighs. “I really wanted to.”

Jinki discards his sweatshirt, starting to gather up his camera materials as they come back to reality. He stops for a moment before Jonghyun pulls up his own pants. “Hold on.”

Jonghyun raises an eyebrow, but Jinki has the Polaroid pointed at him. “Can I…?” he sounds unsure, like he doesn’t know exactly what he’s asking for. 

Jonghyun blushes deep red, looking down at the ground. He nods silently, giving Jinki a heated look that he hopes translates well to the film. He suddenly wants to capture the memory of this encounter in all its vivid detail.

He goes to the tree again, spreading his legs apart in an approximation of the way he’d stood when Jinki ate him out. Jinki steps forward and places his hand on the curve of his ass, just barely holding him open—not enough to reveal anything in too much detail. It’s just a suggestion of something, and Jonghyun shivers at how much it excites him. 

Jinki pulls away, brings the camera up close to Jonghyun’s face, to his eyes which he knows are still smoldering with heat, to his lips flushed red, and his hair sweaty and tousled. Jinki brushes a thumb along Jonghyun’s bottom lip, and the shutter clicks. 

When he pulls away, revealing his face behind the camera, they’re just inches apart. Jonghyun closes his eyes and leans forward to kiss him. They kiss slowly, and Jonghyun savors the taste of himself on Jinki’s tongue as the Polaroid prints out each picture one by one. 

They break the kiss, and Jinki holds up two of the photos. The first one feels vulnerable, Jonghyun’s slightly shy but determined look of seduction turned towards the camera. His head is turned over his shoulder, big eyes and full lips on display. He blushes just seeing himself like that, as much as he likes it. 

The second one shows his ass and Jinki’s hand in intimate detail, and he swallows around a soft moan. His skin is speckled with spots of dirt, and the sheen of Jinki’s spit on the curve of his ass stands out under the bright sunlight cast across it. His hand on the side is steady, providing a moment of contrast.

“You like them?” Jinki asks, voice quiet. 

Jonghyun nods, feels a sense of stirring voyeurism in looking at himself on such display. “Next time I get to take pictures of you.”

Jinki blushes at that, and quickly shuffles to put his supplies away as Jonghyun giggles. He feels sweaty and wet with so many bodily fluids, but the walk back to the campsite envirgorates his step with a new excitement. He watches Jinki in front of him, strong and sure as ever, but secretly disheveled under that stoic set of his shoulders. 

It’s exhilarating, knowing they have the ability to continue finding out new things about each other and discovering each other even after all this time. He catches up with Jinki, their feet matching in step as he links their arms, and they laugh and talk as they make their way back. 

When they arrive at the campsite, Jonghyun decides to wash up in the small creek tucked behind a cluster of trees surrounding their tent. It’s quiet in the early afternoon, the wind blowing softly as Jonghyun tugs his shirt and pants off. He hears Jinki shuffling around in the back of the truck up ahead, organizing the dishes to prepare a quick lunch. 

Jonghyun stands in the shallow water, dipping a washcloth in it and then rubbing a bar of soap into the damp fabric. He’s a bit exhausted from his and Jinki’s heated encounters, and the sudden onset of such overwhelming feelings. Still, he feels that thrill again at standing alongside the trees completely nude. Somehow, in the stark light of day it feels even more transgressive than at night, when he had moved amongst the shadows.

He takes his time as he drags the washcloth up his body, starting at his feet—lighter than the rest of his skin from lack of sunlight, and going up his thin calves covered with sparse sections of dark hair. 

As he slips the cloth in between his thighs, he thinks of all the times Jinki’s hands have been there; all the times his mouth has sucked red marks into the delicate skin. He flushes at the memory, face growing hot as the details become vivid.

The water is refreshing and cold, but he welcomes it, savoring the ability to bathe out in the open. He runs the washcloth down the small of his back and across his ass, remembering Jinki on the ground behind him, fervently eating him out like he’d been aching for it. 

Jonghyun’s eyelids flutter shut, feeling the after effects of the pleasure. It’s so intense, that a part of him wants to rush to Jinki immediately; to straddle him and pull him into a heated kiss that invites more.

He brings the washcloth forward, swiping over his balls and dick, still soft and limp in his hand even as his thoughts border on the edge of obscene. He absentmindedly rubs one side of the cloth across the pale skin of his inner thigh again. The skin is warm and outlined with faint wisps of hair that trail down and grow darker as they reach his calves. 

He always likes how Jinki’s hands spread across his legs, fingers determined along the lines of muscle. He always makes sure to compliment them; even when Jonghyun had gained some more weight and felt self-conscious. Jinki touched him even gentler at that time.

He feels himself blush at the memory, and the desire grows more determined in the back of his mind. Jonghyun spreads more soap onto the cloth, and runs it across the wide expanse of his abs and chest. His nipples stand out hard against the cold water, droplets slipping down the edge of his muscles and shimmering in the sunlight. 

He lets out a quiet whimper, the softest of gasps as he thinks about how Jinki loves to touch him here—how much he loves to brush against the sensitive skin and hear Jonghyun’s pleas for more.

At this moment, he hears the softest sound, and it barely registers under the growing haze of arousal. It’s the rustling again, hushed and secret like it’s trying to hide from something. Jonghyun holds his breath. He waits.

The sound doesn’t repeat itself, but a peculiar feeling crawls up his spine. He shivers, and it’s still partly from the thoughts of Jinki that his mind had been conjuring up. The other part is the low hum of uneasiness creeping its way inside him.

He feels it—the strange sense that someone is watching him. It’s like when they were on the trail, Jinki’s face buried in his ass as Jonghyun had panted helplessly against the tree. He had felt it then too, but it had registered as a product of his imagination; of his deep desire. 

Now, that same feeling is amplified, but the fear is more striking than the arousal.

The hair on the back of his neck stands up. He can feel someone’s gaze like it’s heavy and hanging over his shoulder. He turns to the side, eyes shaking and breath shallow as the fear continues to creep up. All he can see is the trees, stretching out far and wide around him, but they melt into impenetrable darkness where his eyes can’t follow. He still feels something.

The water sounds shockingly loud now as he moves around in it, shifting his feet as he turns in a circle, trying to see from all sides. There’s nothing, nothing but the leaves and the wind and his own body—wet from the water but overheated on fear and lust in confusing combination.

Jonghyun steps out of the creek and slips on his sandals. He takes one last look behind him before he walks back to the tent, and he swears for the smallest second that he sees it. He can just barely make out the shape of something through the trees. Behind the tree that had been closest to him, it looks darker than the ones around it, as if the shadow of something clings to the bark.

His breath catches, but when he blinks again, it’s like it was never there. 

He doesn’t forget it as he walks back, goosebumps all up his arms. He doesn’t forget the way it seemed fuzzy and out of place, the very edge of a tree shaded from the bright sun that sat high in the clear blue sky.  


  
\---

  


“What if we slept outside tonight?” Jinki’s suggestion comes after dinner, once the fire’s flames have begun growing in strength, and they’re warming up on hot chocolate for dessert. 

The night is cool, but Jonghyun’s heated blanket will keep them both warm, and the stars twinkle bright in the neverending deep blue of the evening sky. He thinks he could get lost in them and his own thoughts if he looked at them long enough. 

“Hmm, that’s very romantic,” Jonghyun comments, nudging Jinki playfully as he sips at the sweet hot drink. Jinki smiles shyly, but he nods in confirmation. 

“Under the stars?” Jinki teases. “Yeah, that sounds like a scene in a novel you’d write.”

Jonghyun laughs, and the sound seems to carry throughout the clearing and deep into the trees. “I don’t know. It’s a bit obvious, and I like to think I wouldn’t admit to being so cheesy.”

“Only around me,” Jinki hums. 

“That’s right.”

They arrange their bedding on the soft ground near the fire, its crackling providing the only sound in the quiet space they create. Jonghyun snuggles up next to Jinki as close as he can, leaning his head in the crook of his neck and letting out a pleased sigh. 

The stars do seem to glow more vibrantly out in the wilderness, as if they’re no longer suffocated by the congestion of city skyscrapers and masses of people. Jonghyun swears the one right in his line of sight looks like it’s blinking at him. 

Jinki’s arm curls around Jonghyun’s neck, fingers slowly carding through his hair. Jonghyun hums in content and snuggles even more underneath the warm blankets. He lays a hand on Jinki’s chest alongside his head, and listens to his heartbeat.

“Do you remember the first time we had sex?” Jonghyun asks, the memory coming to him seemingly from nowhere. 

Jinki chuckles, but he’s sleepy and calm, and the intimacy of nighttime makes any conversation topic feel sensible. It’s not completely out of character for Jonghyun to say, either.

“Of course,” Jinki replies, fingers scratching along Jonghyun’s scalp. “In your apartment on a Saturday afternoon. Your roommate was playing video games in the next room, and I sucked you off while the curtains were open.”

Jonghyun giggles, remembering exactly how exciting it was to feel Jinki’s mouth on him for the first time. “I guess my exhibitionist tendencies showed themselves early on,” he comments.

“Anyone could’ve walked by and seen us,” Jinki says as he seems to realize how ridiculous it was. “Your apartment was on the first floor.”

The two of them burst into conspiratorial laughter as the shared memory unfolds behind their eyes. Jonghyun remembers wanting to show off for Jinki then, as he still does now. He remembers halfway wishing someone would walk by the window and see Jinki on his knees, taking Jonghyun deep with cheeks flushed red. 

“Ass-eating in the forest was definitely the next logical step,” Jonghyun muses, unable to keep his mind from drifting to earlier in the day. He looks up at Jinki, watches how the shadows from the fire play across his features. 

“I don’t know what came over me,” Jinki says quietly, as if he’d almost forgotten the incident had happened. “I just suddenly wanted you so bad…”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Jonghyun smiles, tracing his finger along the bridge of Jinki’s nose. 

Jinki grins and gives Jonghyun a knowing look. “Of course not, but it was so out of the blue.”

“I felt it too,” Jonghyun agrees, and for some reason he suddenly recalls the image of the shadow behind the tree, hours ago when he’d bathed in the creek. He furrows his brow. 

“One minute I was thinking about the perfect composition for capturing the mountain range, and the next I was thinking about how the sunlight glinted off your muscles, and the shadows the light creates..”

“Ah—stop that, I’m embarrassed,” Jonghyun grumbles, feeling his cheeks heat up alongside a pleased smile. Jinki’s eyes twinkle with mischief. 

“No, you’re not,” he teases, trailing his hand down Jonghyun’s neck and rubbing in slow circles. Jonghyun presses into the touch, enjoying how the pressure relieves some soreness in his muscles.

“You’re right, I’m not really,” Jonghyun agrees easily, drawing aimless lines across Jinki’s collarbone and neck. “Honestly, you surprised me.”

Jinki raises an eyebrow, but he looks thoughtful. “I surprised myself. Like I said, I just felt so strongly.”

“Did you always want that?” Jonghyun voice drops to a whisper, finger hooked into the space between Jinki’s collarbone and shoulder as he locks eyes with him. “Somewhere deep inside, did you think about me—about us, like that?”

Jinki’s eyes are dark and warm, a low simmering heat building in the steady calm that had inhabited them previously. Jonghyun rubs his thumb across Jinki’s bottom lip, feels his breath brush across his fingernail. 

“Maybe,” Jinki admits, voice low. “Sometimes. How you would look, spread out for me, with no one else around.”

Jonghyun grins, incredibly pleased with that answer, and the way it stirs a quiet need in him. He thinks he’d go down on Jinki right here, but he likes talking about it without acting. It’s tantalizing in a different way. He slips his hand up the back of Jinki’s neck and pulls him down for a deep kiss instead. 

The wet sound of their lips touching echoes the hot fire sparking behind them, and Jonghyun guides the kiss slowly, savoring the plush feeling of Jinki’s mouth, the slide of his tongue and the familiar taste of his breath that they share. 

Jonghyun’s about to pull away, to linger as he does so and go back in for a second round, when a noise interrupts them.

It’s not the rustling. It’s even more jarring—a quick, bright snap of a twig. It’s loud enough that Jinki startles, fingers instantly gripping Jonghyun’s shoulders. Jonghyun whips his head around in the direction he swears it came from, but the darkness of the night spreads out too far from the center of their fire. 

“Jinki—”

“It’s okay,” his voice is immediately soothing and calm, and his tight grip begins to loosen. “A rabbit, right? Maybe even a raccoon.”

Jonghyun tries to nod, but he knows his eyes are shot wide, can feel his heart pounding with fear. The sound had been loud, as if it was right in his ear. Jinki’s hands still haven’t moved from their hold on his shoulders, but he isn’t nearly as tense as Jonghyun. The sound never repeats itself. 

“Are you sure?” Jonghyun asks, even as reality starts to reform itself around him, and the memory of the sound becomes a distant anomaly.

“I’m positive,” Jinki assures him, rubbing his hands down Jonghyun’s arms in slow strokes. “It couldn’t be anything else.”

“Right,” Jonghyun agrees, but he thinks of the shadow again, how it had moved so unnaturally.

“Can I tell you something?” Jonghyun begins, after Jinki has pulled him close to his side. 

“Sure.”

“Today, earlier when I was washing up,” he continues, unsure how to phrase it. “I don’t know—I just think I saw something strange.”

“Strange how?” Jinki prompts, brushing hair out of Jonghyun’s eyes and looking mildly concerned. 

“It was like...a shadow stuck to a tree,” Jonghyun decides to say. “I don’t know how else to describe it.”

Jinki nods, but his brows are furrowed in confusion. Jonghyun knows he’s trying to understand, but that it’s impossible to conceptualize. 

“I’m not sure…” Jinki trails off, as if he’s consulting his mind encyclopedia for shadow creatures. “I can keep an eye out though.”

Jonghyun grins, knowing the joke is meant to soothe him and make him smile. He appreciates it, even if the answer doesn’t solve anything. “Thank you,” he says sincerely. 

Jinki kisses his forehead and they snuggle down into their layers of blankets. The fire has begun to die down, its flames deepening to a dark orange smolder. Jonghyun feels tired. Even if the momentary burst of fear still lingers, he can’t deny the physical exertion he’s endured. 

Jinki whispers softly to him as Jonghyun keeps his gaze on the fading embers, watching them blink out in time with the droop of his sleepy eyelids.


	2. Two

  


  


_There’s a distant hum, coming from the depths of the forest that surround him on all sides. Jonghyun breathes in deep, the night air filling his lungs with a rattling chill. He’s naked, laying under the stars on top of his blanket._

__

_Jinki is gone. He notices it almost immediately; that absence from his side like a deep wound. He inhales sharply, tries to sit up—to jump up so he can call for him. His body resists; a firm pressure keeping him in place._

__

_The hum grows in volume, becoming a low buzz that vibrates around him, that seems to reach out and touch his bare skin with its power. He shudders at the contact, the bizarre sensation of tangible sound. His eyes flutter shut, and his body melts into the blankets as a warmth seeps through his toes._

__

_He squirms. The buzz quiets down, and for a moment there’s nothing but silence. He tries to fill it with his voice calling Jinki’s name, but everything feels muted._

__

_Suddenly, the rustling. It’s shocking in volume, coming from all sides of the forest. Jonghyun feels his heart pound in fear, but the warmth from his toes is slowly filling up his body; a state of calm. He feels his muscles relax, feels his mind grow less frantic. He shuts his eyes and imagines Jinki’s face, feels that calm wash over him even more._

__

_The rustling stops. He feels the blanket shift beside him, and the touch of a hand to his wrist. He would recognize those fingers anywhere. They’re Jinki’s and they’re warm and secure. He sighs and leans towards him, letting his eyes slip open so he can see._

__

_Jinki’s cheeks are flushed red and his hair is tousled, and Jonghyun feels that similar heat under his own skin. He shifts closer, lets their bodies intertwine until he can smell the scent of sex in Jinki’s hair. Jonghyun gasps on a moan, instantly presses his mouth to the sweat beading on Jinki’s neck. He kisses him hot and desperate, feels like he’s losing control of his limbs as they careen forward to devour him entirely._

__

_The rustling comes back, but it’s only for a short moment before Jonghyun feels someone else there. He shudders, feels the desire rushing through him grow in bright intensity. He turns his head, feels the cool touch of fingers on his shoulder. They’re different fingers; smaller and more greedy than Jinki’s. He leans into the touch._

__

_Jinki scoots down on the blankets, and in an instant his mouth is on Jonghyun at the same time that the cold hand slips down to Jonghyun’s chin._

__

_The hand tilts Jonghyun’s head up. He sees the infinite inky darkness of the night around them, penetrated only by two piercing blood red eyes, glowing with hunger. _  


  
\---

  


He wakes up with a start, sweat pouring down his back in the cold hour of the early morning. He’s rock hard under his shorts and the heaviness of the heated blanket. Jinki is fast asleep by his side. 

Jonghyun takes a deep breath and feels it settle inside him as he gets his bearings. 

Nothing has changed, save for the thick cloud of fog blanketing the ground around them. He feels unnerved by it, but he tries to convince himself that it’s only because of his dream. He rubs the palms of his hands against his eyes and shakes his head violently, as if to throw out the memory of the nightmare. 

Nightmare. He wonders if that’s even the right term. It certainly was at first, being separated from Jinki, but the turn to sexuality had been puzzling even if it wasn’t unwanted. He looks down at his lap, at the jut of his cock pressing against the thin fabric of his shorts. 

He glances around the campsite, peering through the thick, white fog. The tent sits behind him, its dark blue color contrasting the white, and the unnerving feeling sinks deeper into his bones. 

Jonghyun gets up, knees wobbly and feet unsure as he walks in the direction of the tent. They had zipped it shut last night to keep animals out, but right now the flap of fabric blows ominously on the morning breeze. The open mouth of the tent beckons him forward, and he shuffles carefully on the crunchy leaves toward it.

He takes a quick breath before he peers in. He half expects someone to be inside; to lunge forward and topple him back onto the cold ground. He remembers the shadow. He thinks about blood red eyes.

Jonghyun ducks his head and slips inside the tent, and the scene startles a gasp from him. 

There’s no person or animal hunched over their stash of food, or dirty paw print tracks staining the floor. Instead, the neat pile of Jinki’s sweaters and Jonghyun’s pants that had been previously folded in the corner has been undone completely. The clothes look like they’ve been rifled through, like someone had curiously dug their hand into the pile and pulled out each article of clothing to inspect.

The extra bedding that had previously been folded has been draped across the floor for sleeping. Jonghyun can even see the slightest mark of an indention in the blankets, as if someone had laid there all night long. 

A prickle of fear crawls up his neck and dread collects in the pit of his stomach. He takes a deep breath to steady himself, and he swears he can even smell something different. It’s the sharp woodsy scent of the trees intermingled with a deep, heady aroma of berry and spice. He shivers as he picks up the notes of the smell, reminded of a mulled wine he and Jinki shared on his birthday last year.

“Jonghyun?” Jinki’s voice suddenly rings out, sounding confused and delirious like Jonghyun himself had been in his dream. 

“I’m here! I’m over here,” Jonghyun assures him, jumping up to meet Jinki halfway as he hustles over from their spot by the burnt out fire. 

“Are you—” Jinki starts.

“Someone was in the tent,” Jonghyun wastes no time in blurting out the words as his heightened paranoia grows. 

Jinki furrows his brow and ducks his head to look inside. He sees the clothes, tossed around casually like they’d been part of a game, and the peculiar weight of the bedding; the way it had been molded around a stranger’s shoulders and hips. 

Jonghyun hears him draw in a sharp breath before lifting his head to meet his eyes. His expression is as still as stone. Jonghyun pulls him close, burying his face in Jinki’s neck and hugging him tight. Jinki’s hands rub up his sides carefully, tender and safe as Jonghyun squeezes his eyes shut and tries to make sense of everything. 

“What do we do?” he asks, voice muffled by Jinki’s shirt.

A long pause. Jonghyun knows Jinki is collecting his thoughts, but he needs the comfort of words, the familiar timbre of Jinki’s voice radiating through him. He thinks about his dream, but for some reason he doesn’t think he should share the details with Jinki, as the sight of the deep red eyes burns his brain.

“I think,” Jinki says calmly. “We should leave for the day. We can drive down the road to another area and hike and eat lunch. Maybe whoever it was will think we abandoned our site and come back, then we can catch them in the act.”

Jonghyun nods against Jinki’s shoulder, but he has a sinking suspicion the plan is flawed. Somehow he knows whoever was in their tent wanted to be there only because the two of them were as well. An abandoned site means nothing. 

Despite his worries, he wants to believe Jinki, so he squeezes him and pulls away with a resolute face. “Okay, let’s pack up.”

The air buzzes with an unfamiliar energy as they get dressed and pack food for their small trip. Jonghyun feels uneasy when he steps in the tent to pick out his clothes. He can smell that mysterious scent mixed in with the soft fabric. 

It bewilders him, but he can’t stop leaning in to smell more, as if he’s compelled to. Jinki clasps his hand before they hop into the truck, and Jonghyun spends the short ride staring out the window with the hem of his shirt pressed against his nose. 

“What are you doing?” Jinki asks curiously. He seems determined to make a nice day of their situation, even though Jonghyun feels a swirling mixture of confusing emotions. He appreciates how unwavering Jinki is. He always has. 

“All the clothes, and the bedding,” Jonghyun mumbles. “Had a strange smell.”

Jinki touches the sleeve of his jacket to his own nose, but he shakes his head after a moment. “I don’t think I smell it.”

Jonghyun furrows his brow. “Jinki, remember when I told you about that shadow?”

Jinki bites his lip and keeps his eyes on the road. “Yes,” he whispers. 

“What if—”

“I don’t know,” Jinki interrupts, and it’s something he never does. “At this point, I really don’t know.”

Jonghyun bites his bottom lip and looks down at his lap. Jinki has that puzzled crease in his brow and his eyes are shrouded in deep thought. Jinki is always more observant than Jonghyun realizes, and he can’t discount that. Jonghyun slips his hand across the console and rests it on Jinki’s thigh. He gives it a reassuring squeeze, and tilts his head in a smile. 

“Hey,” Jonghyun says, low and teasing to make Jinki grin too. “How about round two when we get to the next clearing?”

Jinki rolls his eyes, but some of the tension lifts from his shoulders. Jonghyun rubs his hand across them and rests his fingers along the top of his neck. Whatever worry they feel still sits at the back of their minds, but Jonghyun has an urge to press forward past it.

“I don’t know about that,” Jinki teases, raising a brow. “I think it’s only fair if you go down on me this time.”

Jonghyun laughs, but the image Jinki’s words conjure up immediately sparks his interest. He tugs on Jinki’s ear playfully and slips his hand down the back of his neck again.

“I’d never say no to that,” he says, deepening his voice just the slightest to make Jinki blush.

It works, and Jonghyun feels satisfied. For a moment, he forgets the fear from the morning and the unexplained nature of the tent, and relishes in the reality of Jinki next to him with an entire day to spend exploring. 

Jinki slows the truck down about a mile from their campsite, and mumbles to himself about the best route to take from where they’ve stopped. While Jinki consults his trail maps, Jonghyun closes his eyes and tilts his head up to the sky, feeling the wind dancing through his hair. The woods is still hiding something, deep in its depths where Jonghyun can’t see, but he feels it in the sway of the breeze and the crunch of his feet on the hard ground.

He slowly blinks his eyes open, head still pointed up. He sees the faintest trace of the night before: the pale glimmer of a big moon. It’s still early in the morning, and the stark white color against the eggshell blue sky blinks into view among the sparse clouds. Jonghyun grins, noticing how the edge of it is still shielded, not quite rounded out.

“There’s going to be a full moon tonight,” he realizes out loud, and Jinki lifts his head from his map in interest.

“Really?” He asks as he follows Jonghyun’s gaze. “Well, they say the moon makes people do strange things, don’t they?”

Jonghyun smiles and looks at Jinki, watches him fiddle with his camera and button up his corduroy jacket. He walks over to him and plants a kiss on his cheek. 

“Yes, yes they do.”  


  
\---

  


Night falls, calmly and with little fanfare as Jinki and Jonghyun drive back to their campsite after a long day spent wandering and napping under the shade of tall trees. Jonghyun’s mind is far from the tent, merely focused on the curl of Jinki’s hair against the nape of his neck. He fiddles with the radio dial as they make their way through the dark.

The late afternoon had invited a lazy makeout session, and Jonghyun posing for Jinki’s camera once again. The curious and fleeting feeling of afternoons that he always hated took form in the patch of sunlight where Jinki’s lens stared him down. Jonghyun began to feel that the sluggishness of afternoons invited the heady closeness of their bodies, sweat sticking their t-shirts together as a cool wind teased the strip of skin on display after Jinki pressed his hand under the fabric to pull him closer. 

Jonghyun fiddles with a pen in the dark of the truck cab, thinking of ways to put the feelings of the afternoon down. He can barely see in the dim light, but somehow it doesn’t matter. His mind is alive with thoughts, and simply seeing the pen in between his fingers keeps them from dancing away too quickly. 

Jinki’s hand comes to rest on Jonghyun’s knee, and a spark flies between them. Jonghyun presses against it, and their lonely blue tent comes into view. 

Jinki bites his lip as the truck slows down, but it seems a mutual acceptance has settled over their shoulders. The day had been too perfect, too filled with love and warmth for either of them to fixate heavily on the tent incident. Besides, Jinki had packed two cases of beer and Jonghyun’s pile of retrieved firewood catches his attention from the corner of the campsite. 

“How about a little party?” He teases, tugging on Jinki’s jacket sleeve before he hops out of the car. 

“Hm, party for two?” Jinki comments, but he’s already digging in the backseat for the drinks. 

“Well, it’s always better with more, but we have enough fun by ourselves.”

Jinki smirks at that as he carries the case of beer over to the fire. Jonghyun begins hauling the wood to the pit and hums absentmindedly as he does so. The night feels endless, and he keeps catching Jinki’s eyes when they look up from their respective tasks. He feels that pull, magnetic and consuming. It’s always been there with Jinki.

“Come here,” Jonghyun whispers, once he’s lit the fire and plumes of flame start reaching for the sky. 

Jinki cracks open a can of beer and it sounds off in the deep darkness, as he wraps his free hand around Jonghyun’s waist and pulls him close. Jonghyun nuzzles his neck and slips both hands down to cup his ass. 

Jonghyun lifts his head to Jinki taking a long gulp of beer. He notices the way the fire casts shadows along the muscles of Jinki’s throat, and the path of the liquid as it goes down. He feels the magnetic pull, tugging them closer still.

“Open up,” Jinki teases, nudging Jonghyun’s mouth with the lip of the beer can. Jonghyun’s breath catches slightly, even if the gesture is mostly innocuous. Jinki nods, as if he knows what Jonghyun is thinking, and maybe he does. Time slows down as Jonghyun parts his lips against the cold aluminium. 

He shudders, feels his eyes slip closed as he trusts Jinki to tilt the drink back past his lips. Jonghyun thinks about Jinki’s hands again, and how they move so gently but always with a determined purpose. He feels the coolness of the beer as it runs down his throat, and he blinks slowly. Their eyes meet, and Jinki’s cheeks look the slightest bit red. 

“Have you thought about doing that before too?” Jonghyun asks, quiet and heated. Jinki raises the can to his mouth to down the rest of the beer. 

“Only just now.”

Jonghyun gasps into their kiss, their noses bumping with each other as they both feel the urge to close the gap between their bodies. Jinki’s fingers press hot into Jonghyun’s skin under the layers of his jacket and shirt, and Jonghyun sighs into each movement.

All day they’ve played around like this, touching each other for the sake of it and reveling in the experience, and Jonghyun feels content to keep it up. He remembers the portable speaker he packed stashed in the bottom of his backpack. He pulls away from the kiss, leaving a lingering brush of his lips against Jinki’s as he does so.

“How about some music?” He suggests, voice quiet in the barely there space that exists between their faces. 

“A party isn’t complete without it,” Jinki says back, reaching down to grab two more cans of beer as Jonghyun rushes to his backpack with a smile. 

Once he connects the speaker to his phone and sets it on one of the logs surrounding the fire, Jinki hands Jonghyun a drink and they fall into each other easily. The first soft notes of the song drift out, and it’s a slow, romantic ballad with poetic lyrics. 

“How did I know you would pick something like this?” Jinki teases, pulling Jonghyun to his chest from behind. Jonghyun grins as he lays his head on Jinki’s shoulder and looks up at the dark sky. He takes a sip of beer and sinks into the lazy feeling of Jinki’s arms.

“Because you know me,” he says sincerely, and it’s one of the more concrete truths Jonghyun has found in the world. 

Jinki’s lips brush against the top of Jonghyun’s head, and his hand slips under the front of his t-shirt so that his fingers brush across the curls of hair trailing up Jonghyun’s stomach. He hears Jinki take another drink, and his voice pitches low and intimate. 

“I do,” he agrees, lips coming to rest right above Jonghyun’s ear. He can feel each small huff of Jinki’s breath. “I’m really lucky in that fact.”

Jonghyun blushes in spite of himself, and he takes another drink. He already feels a small buzz now that he’s almost at the end of one can. It never takes much to affect him, but Jinki has always had a higher tolerance. He turns his head up to look at him again and they share another deep kiss, this time a little sloppier with their lips barely catching and the taste of the alcohol on their tongues. 

They move in harmony, swaying along easily to the soothing melody and croon of the singer’s voice, and the warmth from the drinks heats up Jonghyun’s skin under his layers of clothes. He turns around in Jinki’s arms and lets himself be held with hands around his waist. Jinki grins when their noses brush against each other, and he hums along to the song while he moves from side to side.

“Like a first dance…” Jonghyun whispers, and he barely realizes he’s said it, turning a shy smile up at Jinki and squeezing his waist.

“You can’t just say something like that with no warning,” Jinki mumbles, caught off guard and embarrassed as he blushes deep red and blinks rapidly. He’s still grinning though, his eyes full of unarticulated emotions and words that fluster him to say.

“Don’t worry, I’m not expecting anything immediate,” Jonghyun replies, shifting his hands to wrap around Jinki’s shoulders, one fist still clutching his near empty can of beer. He looks into Jinki’s eyes, into their warmth and impossible depth. “Except maybe another kiss.”

Jinki smiles shyly at that and nods, leaning down just as Jonghyun leans his up. They collide like the stars above, twinkling slyly in the dark sky. Jonghyun lets himself be pulled close enough that a surprised breath tumbles from his lips and into Jinki’s mouth. They kiss until Jonghyun feels just as drunk from it as he does from the beer. 

The song ends, and their gentle background music fades away with the wind. Jinki traces the small of Jonghyun’s back in slow circles and Jonghyun reaches up to press his lips to his ear. 

“Take me to bed?” he pitches his voice up with suggestion, but the buzz that vibrates in his fingertips is outweighed by tipsy drowsiness. He wants Jinki’s touches to go further than they are, but not too much. He wants to imagine what they could do together as he drifts off to sleep in the comfort of his warm bedding, rather than mustering the energy to do it. 

“Hm, you’re too sleepy,” Jinki agrees as his nails dig into the soft parts of Jonghyun’s hips. 

“Too sleepy to go to bed?” Jonghyun teases, pressing a kiss to the tip of Jinki’s ear and feeling him shiver against him. 

“That’s not what you meant.”

“Of course it is,” Jonghyun feigns innocence with wide eyes, watching the smile that spreads across Jinki’s features. “You’re the one touching me like that.”

Jinki shakes his head, but his eyes sparkle with the hint of mischief and playfulness that Jonghyun has loved since the beginning. He gives Jonghyun’s side a quick pinch just for good measure, before he pulls away to clean up their empty cans and trash. Jonghyun yelps, but it turns into an easy laugh, and he picks up his phone and speaker. 

They share a look as they tumble into the tent, falling on the bedding and giggling into each other’s arms. Jonghyun can still smell that odd scent clinging to the fabric of the clothes and blankets, but he buries his nose in it to let it fill him up. He likes it, but he feels like he shouldn’t say that.

He’s too drowsy to confront the oddities of the morning, or to break the easygoing feeling hovering between him and Jinki. Instead, Jonghyun undresses quickly and slips on a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top. Jinki wears his own more modest pants and top, and they huddle together under the blankets as the sleep sets into their bones. 

“I can smell it now,” Jinki suddenly says, right before Jonghyun’s about to drift off. “That scent you mentioned. It’s like wine.”

“Mulled wine,” Jonghyun mumbles, eyes still closed and nose pressed halfway into Jinki’s shirt sleeve and halfway into the blanket. “Like on your birthday.”

“Exactly. That’s exactly it.”

The quietest sound of leaves rustling comes from behind the tent, and Jonghyun catches the tail end of it before the fog of sleep clouds his brain. 

They hold each other peacefully through their dreams as the rustling grows louder and louder still.  


  
\---

  


Jonghyun wakes up to the light of the bright full moon shining through the sheerness of their tent. As his eyes adjust, and he lets out a groggy noise of discontent, an unfamiliar chill runs through his body. 

He feels it before he sees it—the presence of someone else, of something else. He’s overwhelmed by the strong smell that permeates the blankets around him, and even Jinki’s quiet snoring doesn’t provide its usual comfort. 

There’s a soft shifting noise. It sounds like the fabric of the tent moving against skin. Jonghyun turns slowly, his breathing growing rapid and panicked as his eyes continue to adjust to the darkness. His fingers shake where they grip the edge of the blanket as he sees it. 

Across the tent, off to the side of the small entrance, a figure crouches silently in the corner, and eyes as red as blood stare unwaveringly into Jonghyun’s own. He gasps, but in the back of his mind he had been almost expecting it. The figure from his dream, the hands that had clasped his jaw, and the source of the rustling noises that had followed him for days. He knows it instantly. 

Jonghyun shakes Jinki’s arm to wake him, all the while knowing the figure is watching his every move; that it’s been watching them for hours, and that it slept between these same sheets the night before, listening to them giggle under the stars. 

“Jinki,” Jonghyun whispers, hushed and frantic. 

Jinki mumbles out a weak, sleepy protest, but Jonghyun continues shaking him, feeling his panic increasing with every second that the figure just _sits_, completely still. 

“What is it?” Jinki finally wakes up enough to be curious. Instantly, he notices the wild look in Jonghyun’s eyes and his expression turns serious and severe. “Jonghyun?”

“Jinki...look at the door,” he whispers fiercely.

Jinki follows Jonghyun’s gaze as both of them turn their heads and lock eyes with the bright red glow that seeps out of the inky darkness. Jinki grabs Jonghyun’s hand and pulls him close. They hold each other tight, and Jinki takes a deep, shuddering breath.

“What do you want?” 

Each time Jonghyun has watched a horror movie, he’s imagined his own more creative question, always chastising the characters for their contrived and predictable conversation starters. Faced with a fearful reality now, he’s unable to recall any of his previous ideas, and Jinki’s cliche question is the only thing that seems reasonable to ask.

The red eyes shift, and the figure emerges from the darkness, skin and hair illuminated by the moon’s eerie glow. Jonghyun squeezes Jinki’s hand. 

“I’m Taemin,” he says simply, and the shocking red of his eyes fades softly into a deep black as he comes into view. A curtain of blonde hair sweeps across his features, and the smallest amused smile curls up his face. 

Jonghyun is frozen still, eyes catching on the curve of Taemin’s jaw and the shape of his fingers as he brings his hand up to place his chin in his palm. “And you’re Jinki, and that’s Jonghyun.”

The words slip from his plush lips like a silk ribbon, easy and smooth as he glances between them with a glint of curiosity in his eyes. He’s dressed in all black, and the contrast of his white-blonde hair offsets the shroud of night. He moves like liquid as he slips his legs underneath him and shifts closer. Jinki backs away on impulse. 

“That didn’t answer my question. What do you want?” Jinki still presses on, but Jonghyun can hear the note of fear in his voice. 

Taemin laughs, as if his reasoning should be obvious. Jonghyun feels that laugh slip down the curve of his spine and reach his toes. He finds himself scooting closer to the edge of the bedding, and he tugs Jinki with him. The smell of the mulled wine grows stronger.

“Nothing you’ll be opposed to, don’t worry,” he replies nonchalantly, and his interest catches onto Jonghyun as he meets his eyes with a sharp, pointed gaze. Jonghyun realizes that he’s crawled across the bedding completely and he’s sitting inches from Taemin’s crossed legs. 

Jinki is frozen on his spot by the pillow, but Jonghyun’s nose has led him to the source of the strong smell, to the source of the addictive, heady scent of berries mixed with the primal allure of the woods. He inhales without reservation.

“You like that, hm?” And Taemin seems genuinely intrigued, raising an eyebrow at Jonghyun and regarding him with a pleased smirk. “I thought so. Picked up some scent memories from you, and kind of combined them into something new. Thought it’d be nice.”

Jonghyun shivers as another wave of the scent hits him, spreading from his face to the soles of his feet. His eyes flutter closed, but Jinki’s voice rings out in stern notes. 

“What are you talking about?” he asks, finally standing up as his fear has all but been replaced by frustration. “And how the hell do you know our names?”

Taemin’s smirk only grows wider. “I watched you,” he explains with a shrug. His gaze travels over Jinki. “Together.”

Jonghyun flushes as he remembers their moment of intense desire in the woods, and he looks back at Jinki to see a similar blush coloring his cheeks. 

“And alone,” Taemin continues, looking at Jonghyun with a knowing flash in his dark eyes. Jonghyun turns away, flustered with confusion, embarrassment, and a twinge of forbidden arousal as he remembers the shadow behind the tree when he washed up in the creek. 

“I’ve been bored,” he reasons, casting glances towards each of them equally. “Haven’t had anyone so pretty come to my forest in a while.”

“What—”

“Or so...uninhibited.”

Jonghyun blushes deeper, realizing the implication behind Taemin’s words. His eyes travel up Taemin’s body and across his face. His smirk invites a certain danger, and the lazy way he’s sprawled himself out on their floor draws Jonghyun in easily. There’s something inhuman and haunting in his piercing gaze. 

“You slept in the tent,” Jinki suddenly says, as realization dawns on him too. “You were here.”

Taemin grins. “Yeah, it was fun.”

“So, you’re…” Jonghyun trails off, losing his train of thought as soon as Taemin looks at him. 

“If you’re thinking human, no,” Taemin’s lips quirk up in amusement. “If you’re thinking evil...it’s relative.”

“What are you here for?” Jinki buts in. His voice has dropped down to a whisper as he sinks back into a sitting position on the blankets, utterly defeated.

Taemin’s eyes gleam. “It’s exactly what you’re thinking.”

Jinki blushes, looking at Jonghyun for some silent communication. Jonghyun reaches out to pull Jinki towards him. Taemin crawls closer, until his fingers are almost touching Jonghyun’s and his breath could ghost his cheek if he leaned in an inch more. 

“You’re cute when you’re confused,” he says to Jonghyun, voice low and velvety as he reaches out to touch his arm. Jonghyun shivers as if he’s just touched fresh snow.

Jinki makes an aborted noise of discontent, as Taemin’s other hand trails up his arm too. “And you’re cute when you’re angry.”

“I like how you are with each other,” Taemin explains. “Romantic, tender,” he punctuates each word with another finger trailing up each of their arms. He stops at their shoulders, and the hand on Jonghyun comes up to grip his chin, just like the scene from his dream. “Dirty.”

Taemin lets go of Jinki as he slips his thumb in between Jonghyun’s lips, and Jonghyun melts instantly, overcome with the smell and the taste and the proximity of Jinki’s reassuring warmth wrapped around his wrist.

Jonghyun still feels that leftover buzz of anticipation in his skin from hours ago, when his and Jinki’s fooling around never built up to any climax. He feels dizzy with how much he suddenly wants it again; how he wants Jinki and more. A flurry of all his most hidden desires plays out across his mind as Taemin’s smell entices him further. The night had felt endless just before they’d fallen asleep, and the glowing moon up above has awoken every being from their slumber.

Taemin’s eyes flash at Jonghyun and he slips his thumb out slowly, letting spit drip from his lips and down his chin. His gaze travels over to Jinki, and a smile curls up the side of his face. Jinki’s blush has only deepened, and the confusion he’d exhibited earlier seems to have subsided. 

He looks at Jonghyun with a deep, heated need in his eyes that Jonghyun knows so well. It’s the silent words they can always share; Jinki sometimes too shy to verbalize, but Jonghyun always understanding.

They both want this, even and especially because of its depravity, that much they know.

“He wants me to fuck you,” Taemin whispers to Jinki, coming over to trail a finger along the side of his face. “He has a lot of good ideas, but this one is strongest.”

Jinki looks away with shame, heat coiling in his gut at the prospect of that. Jonghyun feels flustered having his unknown desires baldly proclaimed, but it sounds so easy when Taemin says it. 

“Will you touch yourself while I do it?” Taemin turns to Jonghyun, cupping his chin again and looking into his eyes. Jonghyun thinks he could lose himself in the infinite darkness of Taemin’s own, but he wonders if that burning red will ever reappear.

“I’ve been thinking of how you would look...I was waiting for you to do it when we were by the creek. I know you wanted to.”

Jonghyun’s eyelids flutter shut helplessly, and the strain of his cock is already pressing against his shorts. He feels exposed by Taemin’s insights.

“How do you know…” Jinki trails off, embarrassed to vocalize for himself what Taemin has already said. 

“How do I know he wants me to fuck you? Or that he wants to touch himself?” Taemin seems to delight in making Jinki’s ears burn with the honest language. 

He shrugs and trails his eyes up the length of Jinki’s body, slowly savoring each feature. “The same way I know you want me to fuck you too.” He gives a sharp grin as Jinki looks down at the ground. 

“It’s just what I do,” he continues, lazily dropping his hand from Jonghyun’s chin and stretching out on his side. “Part of the whole incubus thing, or whatever you want to call it.”

Jonghyun watches the slope of Taemin’s shoulders and the fluid form of his body shaped by his dark clothes. He wants his attention on him again, wants the heaviness of his stare and the feeling of his fingers pressing into his skin. Taemin’s eyes glimmer. 

“Is he always so impatient?” Taemin directs the question at Jinki, and Jinki looks at Jonghyun shyly. They both know how demanding Jonghyun can get when he wants to be, and the redness in his cheeks that’s spreading down his chest isn’t going to let up anytime soon. 

“I wouldn’t deny him what he wants, anyway,” Jinki whispers, and it’s the most indirect way to admit to anything, but it’s perfectly suited to him to disguise his honesty in clever ways. 

Taemin smirks at that, and begins unbuttoning the long, black coat he’s wearing. He moves quickly and clinically, tossing the garment to the side and working at the tight white dress shirt that hugs the toned muscles of his small chest. 

Jonghyun crawls over to Jinki and slips his shirt off his head, wanting to be close to him and provide reassurance more than anything else. He places a soft kiss on his cheek before he throws the shirt in the corner, and Jinki’s eyes simmer with a heat that fuels the excitement coursing through Jonghyun’s veins

“I love you,” he reminds him, skin vibrating with the desire to pull him close and have him all to himself. He quickly moves to untie Jinki’s pants and help him slip them off.

“I love you,” Jinki echoes him, and their lips brush in a quick kiss. 

When they turn back around to face Taemin, he’s completely undressed, and the moon provides an unearthly blue glow that surrounds each distinct feature. He’s thin and lithe, but with muscles that stand out in the more obvious places and demonstrate a measure of strength. Each curve of his shoulders, waist, and hips outlines his body in rhythmic fashion, all culminating in between his legs where the sight sends a rush of delirious need through Jonghyun’s body.

The skin along the inside of his inner thighs and around his genitals is tinged a deep maroon color that lightens into the same red as his eyes around the slightly pointed tip of his cock. Subtle ridges line the edges of his dick, and Jonghyun practically salivates imagining the feeling of them heavy on his tongue. 

The inhuman color and shape of it should be off-putting, but it’s new and different just like his and Jinki’s triste in the forest had been. It’s like the feeling of the rough bark on Jonghyun’s skin, and the brush of the wind against his exposed body. 

Taemin crooks a finger forward, and Jonghyun feels like he’s gliding across the plastic floor until his knees bump into Taemin’s feet and his lips shake near the bright red skin. The smell of wine is so heavy, so dense and delicious like a fog descending on Jonghyun’s brain, and he opens his mouth with eyes fluttering shut. 

“You wanna get me ready for him?” Taemin murmurs, fingers curling into Jonghyun’s hair and nudging him forward until his cock slips in and Jonghyun groans on impact. The smell overwhelms all his senses, and Taemin is hard and hot all down his throat. 

The ridges feel just as good as Jonghyun imagined, little bumps catching on his tongue with each movement of his mouth and creating an irresistible sensory experience. He feels Jinki’s eyes on him too, and it wills a soft whine from the back of his throat. He likes that he’s watching him, that he can see everything. 

Taemin’s fingers scratch at his scalp, sharp points of contact sending shivers down Jonghyun’s spine. He goes down deeper, wanting to taste more and bury his nose in the soft hair of Taemin’s pubes where the smell he’s been chasing is the strongest. Taemin lets out a breathy sound, and his grip on Jonghyun’s hair tightens, tugging him back and off with a chastising roughness.

Jonghyun blushes, knowing his hair is wrecked and drool is shining on his lips. He whines in protest, making to move forward again for one more taste. He suddenly wants to spend the whole night with his lips wrapped around Taemin, taking him fully until he has to stop for breath. 

“Greedy,” Taemin comments with a sly grin, but he swivels his hips out of the way expertly. “Look at how patient Jinki is being, waiting his turn.”

Jonghyun turns to look. Jinki’s sitting on his knees calmly, cock flushed pink and curved out, but completely untouched. Jonghyun can see the restraint he’s exhibiting in the straight set of his dark brows, and he wants more than anything to watch Jinki come undone. 

Taemin goes to him, traces his jaw with a curious finger as Jonghyun hurriedly strips off his clothes and gives himself an impatient squeeze. 

“You’re shy right now,” Taemin comments, finger trailing down Jinki’s collarbone and circling the raised skin of his nipple. Jinki jolts when Taemin tugs on it, the smallest suggestion of a break in his composure. “But, I saw you that day, on your knees...” 

Taemin curls his hand through Jinki’s hair and tugs, pulling him closer until his lips brush against the top of his ear. “You were so desperate for it.”

Jinki moans softly, and Taemin smoothly maneuvers them until he’s laying on his back and Jinki’s straddling his lap. It all happens in an instant, and Jonghyun rushes over to where they lay on the rumpled bedding. He watches as Jinki confidently grabs the bottle of lube from under the bedding where they’d stowed it. He squeezes some out on his fingers and reaches back to prep himself while Taemin runs his hands up his sides. 

Jonghyun grips himself at the base of his own cock, wanting to draw out the pleasure as slowly as he can even though it drives him crazy. He’s reminded of their first night at the campsite, when the urge to go all the way with Jinki was almost as strong as his urge to keep teasing. 

As much as Taemin had scolded Jonghyun for his impatience, his hips keep jolting up so that the tip of his dick brushes Jinki’s fingers. His thighs shake as he squirms around himself, and Jonghyun can tell how much Jinki is aching for it. The line of sweat on his brow and the way his eyebrows scrunch up indicates as much. 

“He’s ready,” Jonghyun says, reaching out to touch Jinki gently as he slips his fingers out with a soft whimper. 

Taemin’s eyes flash, and his grip around Jinki’s waist tightens as Jinki reaches down to grab him and position his cock at just the right angle. Jonghyun can’t take his eyes off the way it easily slips inside, how the bright red contrasts the paler shade of Jinki’s skin which has rarely been exposed to sunlight. Jonghyun squeezes himself hard, trying to make it last. 

Jinki moans as he adjusts to the feeling, eyebrows scrunching together and hands coming to rest on Taemin’s chest as he finds the best position to sit in. Jonghyun’s had Jinki on top of him like this so many times, but seeing the line of his body stretched out with poised confidence above someone else is a whole new experience. 

“He’s always wanted to see you like this,” Taemin suddenly says to Jinki as he starts to press his hips up. Jinki moans in response, echoing each of Taemin’s thrusts with his own. “Tell him yourself, Jonghyun,” Taemin continues, mischievous smirk crawling up the corner of his mouth.

Jonghyun lets go of himself and scoots closer, coming up to Jinki’s side until he can feel the warmth radiating off of him and can smell his sweat. He presses his forehead to Jinki’s shoulder, tasting the saltiness of his skin and arousal. He lets out a soft whimper of admittance. 

“Wanted to watch you with someone else,” Jonghyun whispers, dragging his lips across Jinki’s shoulder and pressing haphazard kisses anywhere he can reach. “To see what you look like...how someone else would fuck you differently than me.”

Jinki moans, moving his head to the side to press his and Jonghyun’s foreheads together. They breathe into each other’s mouths while Taemin thrusts into Jinki with hard, purposeful snaps of his hips. They watch each other, eyes glazed over with desire until Jonghyun can’t take it anymore and he catches Jinki’s lips in a kiss. 

He melts into the movement, gasping for the taste of him and the hungry press of his lips that send shocks down Jonghyun’s spine. It feels like his dream, like he can barely control the raging fire. He bites Jinki’s bottom lip and knocks their teeth together as their tongues slip against one another, messy and uncoordinated. Jinki pulls back to let out another moan when Taemin kicks his hips faster. 

Jonghyun wraps his hand around himself again, abandoning his mission to edge himself from earlier, too desperate to get off. He has his eyes closed against Jinki’s neck, still lost in the sensation of his warm body moving steadily around the pulse of Taemin’s cock. 

“Don’t,” Taemin’s voice suddenly rings out, cold and unyielding. Jonghyun feels something wrap around his wrist to pull his hand away, and he wonders at how strong Taemin’s fingers can possibly be to grab him with such force. 

He whines at being refused what he wants, and tries blindly to grab at his dick again, before he feels the sudden pressure of something curling forcefully around the base. He chokes on a moan, and snaps his eyes open, looking down. 

Taemin’s hands are still clutching Jinki’s waist, guiding him with precision. He smirks at Jonghyun as realization dawns on his face. Coiled like a snake around Jonghyun’s leaking cock is something like a thin, black rope. It’s slick and strong, sliding across his skin like it’s alive. It’s stopped his orgasm in its tracks, keeping him simmering at an unbearable, low heat. He follows the trail of it to its source—the underside of Taemin’s dick still pressed inside Jinki.

“What…” Jonghyun mumbles in a haze, shifting his hips experimentally to feel the tentacle’s slimy warmth slipping against his skin. He moans unintentionally as pleasure continues to bloom through his groin and down his legs, never allowed release. 

“Useful, isn’t it?” Taemin chides, clearly pleased with himself. Jonghyun can’t think past the haze of burning need. He squirms again against the grip of the tentacle, and the response is the same buzz of heat that dissipates before Jonghyun can chase it. His body feels pulled tight and on the brink of collapse, but simultaneously humming with energy.

“Don’t close your eyes,” Taemin warns, and the grip around Jonghyun’s cock tightens with a jolt. “You want to watch me fuck him, right?”

Jonghyun flicks his eyes open quickly, giving a vigorous nod of his head as he crawls closer to Jinki and presses a reassuring hand to the small of his back. He feels the burning need increase in its intensity as he watches Jinki’s thighs shake and the flash of bright red slipping in and out of him as he moves back and forth. 

“You look so good, Jinki…” Jonghyun promises, rubbing soothing circles across his heated skin as Jinki drags his hips in circles, coaxing breathy admissions of pleasure from Taemin. “Love seeing you show yourself off.”

Jonghyun’s delirious, everything he’s ever thought about Jinki tumbling out and making itself known. He loves his flushed face, the way his sweaty hair sticks to his forehead, and the unabashed way he takes each press of Taemin’s cock inside. 

He’s quiet about it, like with many things, but his eyes gleam with the knowledge that he’s doing well; that he’s met Jonghyun approval like he always will.

“I know you can make him come,” Jonghyun continues, watching Taemin from the corner of his eye to see his reaction. “You always do for me, Jinki. Always drive me crazy.”

Jinki moans and tosses his head back, the line of his neck stretching out in a pretty curve. Taemin seems aggravated with Jonghyun’s comment, increasing the speed of his thrusts and scratching the blunt edges of his nails along the smooth skin of Jinki’s thighs as if to prove that he can make Jinki come first.

Their thrusts start to mirror each other, each one trying to drive the other to climax. Jonghyun lines Jinki’s neck and shoulder with kisses, feeling the pulse of the tentacle still wrapped around him with every movement he makes. Taemin’s eyes flash, his gaze trained on Jinki as his hips start to stutter. 

Jonghyun can see it in Jinki’s movements, in the way he’s starting to lose control over his hips as they chase his release. His eyes trail down to the hard line of Jinki’s cock, still untouched and dripping with beads of precum. 

“Want me to help?” Jonghyun whispers in Jinki’s ear, fingers itching to touch. Jinki shakes his head, eyes glazed over with pleasure.

“Just want you to watch,” he admits, and it sends Jonghyun into a frenzy, impatiently fucking into the tight grip of the tentacle and being met with more resistance. He feels like he could burst. 

They keep their eyes on each other, lips brushing and noses bumping as Jinki’s face crumples and his body shakes, and the speed of Taemin’s thrusts builds. Jinki lets out a whine from the back of his throat, careening forward as Taemin’s body twitches in climax and Jinki’s comes all over his stomach. 

Jinki groans a little as he slips Taemin’s dick out of him and rolls over onto his back. He looks entirely spent, body warm and pliant as Taemin’s cum drips out of him. It’s translucent red instead of a milky white, and Jonghyun is reminded of sweet strawberry syrup. 

Taemin smirks. “You’re much needier than him,” he comments, tugging Jonghyun forward with the grip he still has around his dick. “He loves it, but he’s shy about it.”

Jinki is still flushed pink from his cheeks to his chest, and Jonghyun reaches out to trace his fingers across his face and catch his warm eyes in a look of mutual understanding. 

“Now I get to watch you,” Jinki mumbles with a secret smile. 

A shiver of delight runs through Jonghyun as Jinki says it, knowing he’s the one on display now.

Although Taemin just came, he’s already erect again, and not a single one of his neat blonde hairs is in any state of disarray. If Jonghyun hadn’t just witnessed it, he wouldn’t believe Taemin had just had sex at all.

By contrast, Jonghyun feels the waves of heat rolling off himself, the sheen of sweat sticking his hair to his forehead, and the strong smell he must be giving off. 

Taemin raises an eyebrow as Jonghyun crawls over and positions himself above his cock with swift confidence. 

“Think I’m going to give it to you just because you want it?” he teases, squeezing at the base of Jonghyun’s dick harder. 

Taemin shakes his head as Jonghyun reaches back to press the tip of his dick around the soft skin of his entrance. 

“Teasing you is too easy,” he whispers, uncurling part of his long tentacle and using it to swat Jonghyun’s hand away swiftly. 

Jonghyun lets out a frustrated growl, but underneath it he’s secretly interested in playing this game of back and forth, pushing Taemin’s buttons just to see what will happen. He knows Taemin can feel that too, and it makes it all the more exciting. 

“What would you have done?” Taemin continues his low, silky whisper as the tentacle slides up the back of one of Jonghyun’s thighs, dangerously close to circling his hole and slipping inside. 

“If I had come onto you by the creek...knowing Jinki was only a few feet away. He probably would’ve heard us if we’d done anything.”

Jonghyun moans, eyes flicking over to Jinki. His breathing is evening out as he slowly comes down, and his skin looks soft and warm. He gives Jonghyun an encouraging smile, one that delights in the act of watching.

“Would he have been jealous?” Taemin asks, the tentacle continuing to tease along the curve of Jonghyun’s ass. “Would you have wanted him to be?”

Jonghyun blushes, uncomfortable being so seen. “Doesn’t matter now.” He reaches for the lube laying in the blankets. 

Taemin smirks, clearly enjoying getting under Jonghyun’s skin. Jonghyun’s about to reach back to prep himself, when the tentacle bumps into his hand, curling around his finger. “I have an idea,” Taemin grins. 

Jonghyun thinks he knows where it’s going, and he feels a burst of shame in his chest at how much he wants it; something so decidedly perverse but appealing. He feels the tentacle, now wet with the lube that had previously coated his fingers, sneaking along the fine lines of hair and soft skin surrounding his hole. He shudders as he falls forward, nails digging into Taemin’s pristine skin.

The first press in pulls a desperate moan out of him, both surprised and delighted by the strange feeling. He feels suspended between two points of intense pleasure, with part of the tentacle still wrapped tightly around the base of his cock to keep him from coming, and the rest of it needling its way inside him with focused strength. It’s thin like his fingers, but less rigid—more fleshy and flexible. He squirms around on it, the pressure not nearly enough and still vibrating through him in low frequency waves.

Jonghyun knows his cheeks are flushed red and his skin is glistening with sweat, body frustrated at being held at Taemin’s mercy. The wet sound of the tentacle moving around inside him and the knowledge that Jinki’s gaze is fixed on him pointedly shouldn’t make his ears burn and his cock twitch, but it does. He moans, voice completely wrecked. 

Taemin chuckles, and it just makes the shame burn brighter in him, makes him more eager to prove himself. 

“Jinki really likes seeing you like this,” Taemin teases, hands ghosting over Jonghyun’s hard nipples. “But he’s a little jealous too. It’s pretty cute.”

Jonghyun whines at that, and Taemin keeps going. “I could tell you were a show off. I wanted to see just how much.”

Jonghyun feels dizzy, caught between Taemin’s words, Jinki’s gaze, and the incessant grip of the tentacle around him and inside him, bringing him right to the edge but never over it. He deliberately claws his nails across Taemin’s chest, kicks his hips forward. 

“Fuck me,” he demands, and he sounds rough and inhuman, like he’s become a primal creature of the night on par with Taemin. 

Taemin laughs, but the tentacle slithers out halfway, and the pointed tip of his cock nudges up alongside it. Jonghyun presses back to meet the hard line of it, and the combination of the hot hardness with the cool, slimy flexibility of the tentacle makes Jonghyun’s eyes roll back in his head from sheer sensation. It’s like Jinki’s tongue on him, the way it pulls the thrum of his arousal forward to bloom across his skin and heat up every edge. 

He gasps, drags more rough red lines across Taemin’s chest, and bottoms out immediately as the tentacle retreats and all that’s left is his cock. He shivers at the feeling of its ridges again, touching each intimate point of his body as he moves. The pointed tip hits him deeper than he thought possible, and he’s practically drooling as he drags his hips back and forth. 

Jonghyun throws his head back, and deliberately catches Jinki’s eyes in his own heated gaze. He puts on a show like he did when he posed for the Polaroid’s lens, and he knows this moment will remain in Jinki’s memory as vivid and alive as the photos were. 

“Jinki…” he calls in a breathy voice, knowing it will stir something inside him. 

Taemin grins, watching everything play out before him with a smug satisfaction. 

Jinki comes to his side, immediately running his hands along his thighs and waist, holding him steady and watching him with a cooly controlled hunger. Taemin grips Jonghyun tight around the hips and holds him down so he can fuck into him with short, directed thrusts. Jonghyun cries out in pleasure, legs shaking as he takes it—body nearly exhausted from how much it’s being simultaneously denied and granted.

Jinki moves behind him, hands slipping down to cup his ass and pull him apart so he can watch the swift movement of Taemin pushing inside. Jonghyun groans at the feeling of being so exposed. He presses back into Jinki’s hands easily, and feels the familiar hardness of his dick too. 

“Fuck…” Jonghyun mumbles, realizing what Jinki wants just as Taemin gives him a dangerous smirk. 

“Can I…?” Jinki asks, and his voice is so shy despite its barely withheld restraint. Jonghyun eagerly encourages him, reaching back to wrap a hand around Jinki’s wrist and draw him forward.

“Please,” Jonghyun replies, turning around to lock eyes with Jinki just as he rubs the head of his cock alongside the base of Taemin’s, stretching the sensitive skin easily. He cries out as Jinki pushes inside, inching carefully and holding onto Jonghyun’s arms as he does. 

It burns like small pricks of needles along every nerve ending, but Jonghyun wants it. It cuts through the haze of drunken lust that fills his senses as Taemin keeps him at bay. He greedily pushes back and leans his head on Jinki’s shoulder as he rocks his hips back and forth.

It’s a blissful collision of the familiar and the unfamiliar, as Jinki holds him tightly in his capable arms while he works him open alongside the the rough, heavy drag of Taemin’s cock. Jinki moans quietly into Jonghyun’s hair and the three of them move in fluid motion.

The night hums around them, brimming with life and electric energy that radiates outwards from the core of their intertwined bodies. The heady, sweet smell envelopes the whole of the tent, and Jonghyun feels lost in it, swimming in this sea of the unknown. 

Taemin’s eyes hold all the mystery and intrigue of the forest that had vibrated under Jonghyun’s feet with every step of this trip. He’s playing with them more than anything, Jonghyun realizes. His power runs deeper than they could imagine, and this is only a small show of it. 

“Your stamina is really impressive,” Taemin comments as Jonghyun shakes around him, and his smile is so lazy and unaffected that it just riles Jonghyun up more. “You just keep taking more.”

The tentacle gives Jonghyun another squeeze, just to tease him. Jonghyun scratches at the inside of Taemin’s thigh. “Like you said, I’m a show off.”

Taemin laughs, shifting so that his dick pushes even further inside, eliciting a soft whine that tumbles out of Jonghyun’s lips involuntarily. “It’s good to be self-aware.”

Jonghyun can’t form the words for a response, as the feeling of being so full and teetering on the brink of collapse reaches its peak. He clasps his and Jinki’s hands together and squeezes his eyes shut tight, moving his hips in a frantic rhythm as he tries to chase the orgasm that’s just behind his eyes. With each jolt of his body, and each slide of Jinki or Taemin inside him, he climbs higher and right to the edge. 

“Let me come,” He decides to demand it just how he had earlier. 

It had seemed to work then, Taemin giving up part of his performance and letting Jonghyun take some control. It’s seems like Taemin enjoys playing up the dominance until it gets repetitive; until something else could take them somewhere more interesting. 

Taemin slowly loosens the grip of the tentacle, but still keeps it coiled around him. Jonghyun’s hips react instantly, kicking forward to find his release. 

“Jinki should touch you,” Taemin decides, holding Jonghyun’s hips steady as he slips his own cock out. “Don’t go too fast, I still want to watch.”

Jonghyun welcomes the slow unfurling of the long, black tentacle, but he knows that as soon as Jinki even brushes his fingers against his cock, that Jonghyun is going to come undone completely. 

He squirms, limbs feeling more loose already. Jinki trails a hand down his chest, rubbing over his nipples and scratching softly at his skin to keep him steady, still holding off as he continues to push inside him.

Taemin grins, laying back and looking at them with a smug expression. He wraps a hand around his own dick, lazily pulling at it as the tentacle slides down and around his own thigh. His dark eyes still pierce into Jonghyun with magnetic power. He can’t look away, as Taemin slides his hand down. 

“I can already tell you won’t be able to go for another round,” Taemin says as he spreads his legs. “But, there’s always next time.”

Jonghyun gasps in surprise as Jinki moans quietly behind him. Taemin’s fingers find purchase along the smooth slope of another part of his genitals, something similar to a human vagina that sits just behind his dick—dripping wet with the same sticky red fluid as earlier. He rubs two fingers along the skin and the sensitive bump of a clitoris, then drags the fingers across his mouth, licking up his own taste. 

His eyes gleam with the thrill of making them watch, and Jonghyun can’t take it anymore. He guides Jinki’s hand down to his dick with shaking fingers, and Jinki slowly circles his hand around the aching hardness. Jonghyun cries out in a mix of euphoric pleasure and stinging pain as he finally gets the relief he needs.

“I’ve got you,” Jinki says softly, brushing his lips along the top of his ear as he continues to fuck him in swift strokes while his hand grips him with just the right pressure. 

Jonghyun feels drool shining on his lips again and any response he could think to give is thwarted by the force of his orgasm as it’s finally able to push him over the edge. 

He cries out and shakes uncontrollably as Jinki helps him through it, vision tunneling around Taemin and the wet slide of his quick fingers as he plays with himself. Jonghyun’s moans become high-pitched whines as the sensitivity overwhelms him and he comes all over Jinki’s hand and wrist, black spots blooming behind his eyes as all the pent up arousal rushes forward and reaches out to every point of his body.

Jinki catches him around the waist before he falls forward, slipping out of him and letting his own cum stain Jonghyun’s back as he rides out his second orgasm of the night with a low moan. His sweaty forehead touches Jonghyun’s back, and they hold each other close as the dizzy high dissipates into calm.

Taemin’s hand stills, and he comes over to them. He drags a finger down Jonghyun’s cheek, rubs it along the soft tip of his nose and the plushness of his bottom lip. Jonghyun whines, feeling a faint sting of desire even though his body is beyond exhaustion.

Taemin grins and leans down, captures a hot kiss that lights Jonghyun’s skin up. He tastes just like the strong smell he’d given off, and Jonghyun loses himself in its heavy sweetness. He leans forward for more, but Taemin pulls away, leaving a thin trail of spit connecting their mouths. 

“No more tonight,” Taemin chastises, pushing Jonghyun’s head away with a gentleness that he didn’t expect.

Taemin kisses Jinki next, wrapping a firm hand around his neck and coaxing a quiet moan from his throat as their lips collide. The soft sound of them tasting each other loops like a song on repeat in Jonghyun’s mind as his head starts to feel heavy. He leans back into Jinki’s embrace, and catches the corner of Taemin’s gaze.

The moonlight shines of his blonde hair once more, blueish-green glow dripping down each strand like a waterfall. His dark eyes flash with power as a smirk tugs up the corner of his mouth, and right as Jonghyun begins to slip into sleep, those eyes shift back into eerie red. They flicker along the edge of Jonghyun’s vision, like two pools of blood shimmering in the black of the night.  


  
\---

  


The sun wakes Jonghyun in a daze, and the events of the previous night dance behind his eyelids in a flurry of motion and color. The red is brightest of all, and the fleeting reminder of every touch still floats on his skin. He turns to Jinki, and sees him slowly waking too.

Jinki blinks with slight confusion as he comes back to consciousness, and for a moment they just look at one another. Jonghyun is sore all over in the most refreshing way, and they’re both still completely naked, covered in sweat and everything else. 

“So…” Jinki says, voice dry and groggy with sleep. 

Jonghyun bursts into laughter, pulling Jinki close and kissing his face as the giggles keep tumbling out. The contrast between the bright, clean morning and the decadence of the night they experienced gives Jonghyun whiplash. They may as well have traveled to another world in the heat of the moment. 

“Yes, I think that really happened,” Jonghyun replies, a rush of glee bursting in his chest. 

Jinki starts laughing too, and they hold each other close as they relish in the memory in all its absurdity. Jinki brushes hair out of Jonghyun’s eyes with the same tenderness as always.

“I never knew I wanted something like that,” Jinki says, looking thoughtful as the chirping of birds and the sounds of the forest float around them from the outside.

“But, it’s like we’re closer than ever now.”

Jonghyun smiles and nuzzles his cheek, smelling his sweat and the slightest hint of that woodsy, sweet smell that Taemin had implanted in his brain forever. It sends the smallest shiver down his spine. He leans in to give Jinki a kiss.

They relish in the feeling and taste of each other for a long moment, before Jonghyun pulls away and nudges Jinki’s nose with his own. He can’t keep the smile from his face. 

“It’s really thanks to you and your photography forum.”

Jinki laughs and shakes his head, but Jonghyun wonders at the circumstances. It’s overly romantic like everything he believes in, but perhaps fate was working in small ways to bring them here, to this mysterious little corner of the woods where secrets revealed themselves in the most profound ways. 

Jonghyun gets up to stretch and put some clothes on, and in the corner by his bag he sees his leather-bound notebook placed carefully on top of his folded up sweatshirt. As soon as he picks it up he feels its weight more pointedly than ever before, like it’s been imbued with an amorphous quality he doesn’t quite understand.

He opens it to the newest page, and reads words he didn’t write. 

_Come see me again and you can show off as much as you’d like. It gets boring having to entertain myself all the time~_

Jonghyun laughs, showing Jinki the message and running his thumb across the carefully inscribed words. He thinks back to the beginning of the trip, when he wondered how to put into words the feeling of the forest as it hummed with vitality around him. 

He thinks now he understands the way it moves and delights in the unknown. The secret. The hidden. He thinks now he knows its depth a little more intimately, and that when he comes back to it, its eternal quality will settle into his bones with familiarity. 

Jonghyun thinks that when he comes to find the forest again, it will appear to him with honesty, and greet him warmly like an old friend.  


  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading~ Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought! ^^ Kudos always appreciated too~
> 
> If you'd like, you can follow me on twitter at [charmlesstrans](https://twitter.com/charmlesstrans) and on tumblr at [replaydebut](https://replaydebut.tumblr.com/) :)
> 
> Thank you as well to all our writers who made this event such a success!!


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